Looking Back On Yesterday
by tinyhuman02
Summary: AU: Mr. Perfectionist and womanizer Jackson Avery has everything he needs - steady job, a nice home, expensive car and all of the single women he can sleep with. But when a familiar woman arrives at Seattle Grace his buried past reminds him of who he used to be. Japril & other friendships.
1. Have We Met Before?

**Hey, folks! This is my first attempt at going completely AU with Japril, though I did keep the hospital setting. I hope you will give this fic a chance even if it's different. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's or its characters :)**

* * *

The alarm clock buzzed on Jackson Avery's bedside table, waking him up at exactly 6:10 AM. Every morning, he woke up at the same time, not earlier or later. He was a plastic surgeon, a perfectionist. To him, the smallest mistake was unsatisfactory. At work, his residents were required to triple check their work – if they were fortunate enough to touch his patients. If it was a complicated procedure, nobody whose name wasn't Avery touched the patient. The only surgeon he trusted was himself. Plastic surgery involved precise and clean cuts. He considered himself the best at what he did and nobody could match up to him, except for his boss.

Sitting up on his king sized bed, Jackson stretched his arms over his head after turning off his alarm. He opened the light gray roller shades covering his large windows. The sun had risen 55 minutes ago, giving him a lovely panoramic view of downtown Seattle and the Space Needle was visible from his condominium. He lived on the 24th floor of the 5th and Madison Tower. One bedroom, one and a half bathrooms, a spacious living room combined with an open kitchenette, a walk-in closet, hardwood floors – perfect for a bachelor like him.

He didn't have a wife nor did he consider marriage in his future plans. At 33 years old, what was the rush? Women loved him. And he loved having sex with them. Settling down with one woman for the rest of his life didn't sound very appealing to him. And children? Not a fan of them either. He had spent plenty of time in the Peds department treating cleft lips, burns and performing other types of reconstructive surgery. They were the only type of kids he cared about – because they helped him earn a hefty paycheck.

Clad in black boxer briefs, he turned around as his latest conquest stirred in her sleep. He met her at the Emerald City Bar. It was the tight fitting red dress that drew his attention. Her long, brown hair covered half of her face when she sat up on his bed. Walking towards her, Jackson assisted the naked woman out of bed.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted her, picking up her clothes in the process. "I'd love for you to stay, but I have to get ready for work, which means you unfortunately have to leave."

"You were quite the stallion last night, Dr. Avery," the woman seductively said as she dressed herself. After wearing her dress, she turned around and lifted her hair above her shoulders. "Zip me, please."

Jackson casually zipped up the woman's dress, then he escorted her to the front door. He opened the door and watched her walk out of his condo with a smug grin on his face. "Get home safely, uhh…" Names weren't a priority to him.

"Carmen," she answered for him. Pulling out a post-it note from her purse, she quickly jotted down her number and lightly slapped it against the plastic surgeon's chiseled chest. "Call me."

"Will do," he replied with a wink and closed the door. He grabbed the post-it note and crumpled it in his hand. "Not calling you."

Jackson tossed the piece of paper into the guest bathroom's trash can, making it on the first shot, of course, while also taking a moment to relieve himself before he walked back to his bedroom. His one night stand was loud, a never ending screamer. He hated screamers. He could hardly enjoy himself while she shrieked annoyingly in his ear. If only there was a mute button for people.

Before jumping in the shower, he positioned himself in front of his bed for his daily workout routine to get the blood flowing – 50 pushups followed by 100 crunches, switching from side to side to tone his washboard abs. It took a lot of work to look as hot as he did, so maintaining his physique was necessary. When there wasn't a woman to kick out of his condo he awoke earlier for a run around downtown. He also exercised in the building's gym at night after work prior to venturing out into town for a woman to flirt and possibly sleep with.

It wasn't just his body women fawned over. His face was gorgeous too. Upon meeting a woman, the first physical feature she noticed was his bluish-green eyes. And his pearly whites were next when he hypnotized her with his smile. Perhaps it made him conceited, but he took pride in always looking good for the ladies. He lived by the motto, "If you got it, flaunt it."

Following his quick workout, he showered, brushed his teeth and chose to bypass shaving that morning. Women loved it when he had a little stubble on his face. They thought it was sexy on him. He dressed himself in a white dress shirt, a navy blue tie and black pants. Carrying his belongings into the living room, he set them aside to start up the coffee maker and cook a quick breakfast. While he didn't consider himself the best cook in the world, he was decent enough to make edible omelettes. Today, it was apple sausage, spinach, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. After cooking his breakfast, he sat on his small dining table with his food and a glass of orange juice while he read his latest e-mails on his laptop. Nothing to be concerned about, post-op patients were still alive. His mother sent him another newsletter from Mass Gen, but he always deleted that. He couldn't care less about his family's success as they were all focused on cardiothoracic surgery.

After breakfast, he poured coffee into his travel mug, wore his black jacket and left his home on time at 7 AM sharp. Jackson rode the elevator downstairs to the parking garage. A valet driver delivered his shiny black Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and after slipping on his designer sunglasses, he drove off to work at Seattle Grace Hospital.

Jackson entered the hospital through the main lobby, travel mug in one hand and his laptop bag in the other. He casually greeted his coworkers as he strolled to the elevators. As he waited for one to arrive, one of his fellow attendings quickly approached him.

"Dr. Avery," a shorter man with brown hair called out. He was dressed in navy blue scrubs and a white lab coat. His hair was neatly combed to the side. "A patient was brought into the ER about a half an hour ago with what looks like second degree burns-"

"Looks like second degree burns or they _are_ second degree burns, O'Malley?" Jackson interrupted, staring straight ahead as if the trauma surgeon wasn't standing beside him. "No guessing. Either they are or they aren't."

George O'Malley was born and raised in Seattle. The only surgeon of the family, he attended the University of Washington for medical school and completed his residency and fellowship at Seattle Grace. He was one of the friendlier and appreciated doctors in the hospital because of his bedside manners and his surgical skills. But none of those qualities impressed Jackson. His coworker was also awkward and not the chick magnet that he was. They had nothing in common and were barely friends.

"Well, they're _definitely_ second degree burns on her right forearm after an accident in her kitchen. Spilled boiling water all over her right side," George explained, fidgeting with the clipboard in his hands. "She also has a few first degree burns, but I'm asking you for a quick consult on whether or not she needs skin grafts for her injuries. Sloan was available. However, he told me to pass this on to you."

"Of course he did. I'm his best plastics man in this hospital," Jackson gloated and checked his watch. "Why are these elevators, so damn slow? For a well-respected hospital like this one, one would think everything here was top quality."

"So, umm… see you in the pit in fifteen minutes?"

"Make it ten. I'm not a sloth, bro," he answered as he entered the elevator. Jackson pushed the button to the fifth floor where the attendings locker room was located. As the doors began closing, he heard a woman's voice asking to hold the doors. He pressed the button to keep the doors open as a woman with red hair rushed inside, softly gasping for air after she successfully caught the elevator.

"Thank you so much," she breathlessly acknowledged, running her fingers through her hair as she readjusted it. She wore a lavender blouse with black dress pants and black flats. Smiling at Jackson, she tightly clutched the straps of her purse. "Most people are so inconsiderate about the elevator. A lot of them typically try to close the doors faster, so they're not sharing with anybody."

Jackson returned the smile. "I don't do that – to women."

He examined the woman beside him. It was the first time he had seen her around the hospital. He was familiar with most of the nurses, residents, interns, radiologists, dermatologists… his list could go on and on, but not this new face. She was attractive, not bow-chicka-wow-wow hot, but still attractive. Almost like a girl next door type of hot. Her red hair complemented her pale complexion. Something about the woman made him curious, like he had seen her somewhere before. But he had slept with so many women that he could only remember about half of the one night stands he brought home.

"Have we met before?" he inquisitively asked.

"I don't think we have," she chuckled. "I just moved back home. Lived in Ohio for the past eight years, so I highly doubt it. Why do you ask?"

He quickly shrugged his shoulders. "You just… look a little familiar, that's all. Maybe I'm mistaking you for someone else then," he dismissively replied. "What brings you to Seattle Grace?"

"I'm the new peds surgeon. It's my first day here," she cheerfully answered.

"Oh, yeah?" Jackson switched his laptop bag to his coffee hand before he extended his left one. "Jackson Avery, Plastics. And I don't mean to brag, but I'm very good at what I do. We'll likely see each other every once in a while since I have my share of peds cases."

The woman shook his hand, smiling brightly back at him. "That's nice to know. April Taylor- I mean, Kepner. Taylor was my married name, but my husband- it's… it's Kepner now," she reluctantly introduced herself. "Anyway, it's lovely to meet you, Dr. Avery."

"You can call me Jackson," he insisted. Kepner. The last name sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't quite connect the dots yet. He needed to know more about April, especially if he had the chance of sleeping with her eventually. "Did you grow up here, April?"

April nodded eagerly. "Until I graduated from high school. I did my undergrad at Duke and medical school at Brown, then I completed my residency at the Cleveland Clinic and my fellowship at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital."

"Wow, you were all over the place," Jackson responded, sounding impressed.

"I love to travel, so I took advantage of the opportunities to live in different cities. What about you? Where did you study?"

"Harvard, for both undergrad and medical school. My family wanted me to do my residency at Mass Gen because it's a tradition, but they never understood my interest in plastic surgery. They're all hardcore about cardio, so I blew them off and flew all the way to California and Stanford. Then, I completed my fellowship at USC," he proudly answered. "I'm sure you're aware of the Harper Avery Award, named after my grandfather."

"Oh, yes. So, you're an Avery. That's… that would almost make you equivalent to a celebrity in the surgical world," April teasingly said.

Jackson placed his hand against his chest and smiled. "Don't feel overwhelmed by my presence. I don't bite," he quipped, though April raised her eyebrow at him in response. "Anyway, what do you think about you and I having dinner tonight after work?"

She hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, then she cleared her throat. "A-are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes. You're an attractive woman and if you're up for it, I could give you a tour of my condo in downtown-"

"I, uhh… thanks, but no thanks," she respectfully declined. As handsome as Jackson was, his personality spewed arrogance. Too much for her taste. She was relieved when the elevator reached the fifth floor. Quickly walking out into the hallway, she briefly glimpsed over her shoulder at him. "I'll see you around."

Jackson softly laughed to himself and followed April a few steps behind her. "I'm on my way to the locker room too, you know. Running away is pointless. So, why don't you want to go out with me?"

"We just met." April spun around and smirked at him. "Give me some room to breathe first before you start hitting on me, Jackson. My first shift barely just started."

"Does that mean you'll reconsider my offer for tonight?" he inquired as he walked into the attendings locker room with her. Jackson rested his arm against April's cubby, leaning in before she could place her purse inside. "I'll let the offer stand until our shifts are over."

She gently but forcefully pushed him out of the way with her shoulder and awkwardly laughed. "I should get ready."

Jackson temporarily surrendered and walked to his own cubby. He remembered he had a schedule of his own and he promised George he would meet him in the ER in ten minutes. False promises were for phonies. He most certainly didn't consider himself to be a phony. As he started changing out of his dress attire, April softly hummed a song to herself. The tune immediately caught his attention. Blind Melon's "No Rain".

And the dots began to connect for him soon after.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Camp Waziyatah_

_Jackson Avery resented his mother for sending him to a freaking summer camp for eight long weeks, while she and her new boyfriend traveled through Europe. His older brothers were deemed responsible enough to stay at home in Boston, but his 13-year old self was shipped three hours away to Camp Waziyatah in Maine… for his entire summer. Growing up in a wealthy household, summer camps weren't a tradition. Normally, he and his family either traveled to another country together for half of the summer or he spent his vacation with his friends. This year, he didn't have a choice._

_He blamed Catherine Avery's new boyfriend. The guy wasn't much of a family person. Children – rather teenagers – weren't particularly in his list of interests. For some pathetic reason, his mother was completely smitten over the new guy, despite his attitude towards him and his brothers. He was a snooty cardiothoracic surgeon who recently joined the Mass Gen family. His grandfather introduced them. Terrible decision._

_Because now, he was at a summer camp where he didn't know a single soul. And even worse, in just the second day of camp he was already the target of a group of counselors who promised to make his life a living Hell until the end of summer. His rich boy status drew attention. Perhaps Catherine shouldn't have sent him to camp in a limousine._

_But being rich didn't make him popular. Jackson was a scrawny boy. With his skinny arms and chicken legs, he resembled a stick figure. His eyeglasses were slightly oversized as he continuously needed to push them up the bridge of his nose. They could have been made out of the bottom of jars for all he knew. And the metal retainer on his top row of teeth didn't upgrade him to heartthrob status at all._

_Instead of joining the rest of his cabin mates on the soccer field, the poor teenager was accompanying the United States flag on the flagpole. The counselors who picked on him decided it would be hilarious to attach him to the flagpole, while everybody was busy engaging in group activities at another part of the campus. Hanging halfway up the pole by the loops of his khaki shorts, he sighed as he waited for somebody to find him._

_The sound of whistling caught his attention. Down below, a girl with red hair fixed in pigtails and wearing a green and pink tie-dyed t-shirt walked down one of the various trails. She was whistling a song while she picked at her chipped bubblegum colored nail polish._

_"Uhh, hey!" Jackson's squeaky voice called out to the girl. He absolutely hated how much puberty was ruining his voice for the time being. Waving at the fellow camper, he sheepishly grinned. "Can you help me out, please?"_

_The girl looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. "What are you doing up there?"_

_"Some dumbasses thought I made a better flag," he bitterly replied. "Could you- could you bring me down?"_

_"Umm… maybe I should go get a counselor to help you?" she suggested, nervously biting down on her lower lip. The girl scanned their surroundings for an adult. "I don't want to get in trouble for messing with the flagpole."_

_"No! Don't get anybody!" he protested. "Whoever comes will draw a crowd and- and I've been humiliated enough. I don't need more people laughing at me. Just carefully bring me down, please?"_

_"Fine, fine." She approached the flagpole and slowly began lowering Jackson down. When his feet touched the ground she unattached the flag hook and rope from his shorts. "There you go."_

_Jackson smoothed out his Michael Jordan t-shirt with his hands, then he smiled at the girl. "Thanks. It was getting really hot up there," he gratefully said and pushed up his glasses. The young lady standing in front of him was cute. He especially liked the single dimple that formed when she smiled back at him. She stood at about 5'2" against his 5'8" frame. "I… uhh, I should get going. I was supposed to be at the soccer fields about an hour ago."_

_"I can walk you there," she chirped. "I'm late too. I was helping clean the mess hall, so I'm excused. So, what's your name?"_

_"Jackson… Fox," he partially lied. He decided to use his mother's maiden name in case somebody with surgical related ties happened to be in camp with him. Everything was 'Avery this' and 'Avery that' in Boston, which wasn't too far from Maine. Better to be safe than sorry. "You?"_

_"I'm April. April Kepner," she cheerfully responded as they walked side by side. "This is my fifth year here. Is this your first time at Wazi?"_

_"Uh huh," he replied unenthusiastically. "Camps aren't my thing, but my mom dumped me here because her lame ass boyfriend didn't want me around during their big trip around Europe."_

_"Oh, that's too bad, but you know what? There are a lot of cool people here to make friends with," April insisted and pointed at herself. "I'll be your friend, Jackson."_

_Jackson timidly sighed. "Th-that would be awesome."_

_He had difficulty talking normally to girls he thought were cute. Never had a girlfriend nor had he ever kissed a girl yet. His self-esteem issues were due to the lack of a father figure in his life. His parents divorced when he was only two years old and he barely remembered his father. And Catherine's carousel of boyfriends weren't the best role models for advice because they were never around long enough to know them well or trust them._

_"Where are you from, Jackson?" April curiously asked as she fidgeted with the tip of one of her pigtails._

_"Boston. And you?"_

_"Seattle. How old are you? I turned thirteen in April."_

_Jackson softly chuckled. "Is that why your name is April?" he teased._

_April rolled her eyes and shyly smiled. "Pretty much. My parents thought it was cute, but I think it's so cheesy. The jokes I get on April Fool's Day are super lame," she noted. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question."_

_"Oh, I'm thirteen too. I'll be fourteen on August 5__th__."_

_She excitedly clapped her hands. "That means you'll be celebrating it here!" she squeaked. "Birthdays here are so tight. You get an ice cream cake and special privileges."_

_"Special privileges? Like leaving this camp?"_

_"You're funny," she giggled. "Actually, they do make exceptions by having your parents pick you up."_

_Jackson slightly frowned. "I'm a thousand percent sure they won't be coming on my birthday," he muttered. "My mom will still be in Europe by then. So whack."_

_"Well, hopefully you'll have a bunch of friends to celebrate your birthday with," she stated, staring at the boy as he stuffed his hands inside of his pockets and looked down at his shoes. "Maybe later I can introduce you to a couple of my best friends. They'll totally let you join our little group. They're nice people."_

_"Okay," he sighed. "So, umm… do you have a boyfriend?"_

_April's eyes widened. "Me? Gosh, no," she answered, softly laughing. "Boys don't like me. And a lot of them are gross. The ones at my school are so obnoxious. They're always like burping next to my ear or making jokes about my name."_

_"I heard some boys pick on girls when they like them," he pointed out._

_"Is that what you do?" she playfully asked._

_Jackson quickly shook his head. "I would consider myself lucky if a girl noticed me," he murmured. "People at school call me Urkel because of my glasses. And my voice is still changing, so that gave them another reason to poke fun at me."_

_April waved her hand. "Yeah, but I bet puberty will be kind to you. Me?" She held out her hands in front of her chest where she wished she was more developed. "I'd like to have some boobs before high school."_

_Jackson felt uncomfortable talking about anything related to sex. He liked girls, but when he thought about them too much… well, his oldest brother Grayson thought it was necessary to point out the giant wet spot on the front of his basketball shorts after he experienced his first wet dream two months ago._

_"What was that song you were whistling?" he asked, changing the subject._

_"Huh? Oh! 'No Rain' by Blind Melon," she answered. "It came out last year. Have you heard of it?"_

_"Will I be a major loser if I say I haven't?" Jackson grimaced. His personal favorites with music were Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men and the Beastie Boys._

_April laughed as she shook her head. "No, but I have the song on a cassette mix I made. I can let you listen to it on my Walkman later," she offered. "Anyway, the song is so appropriate for me because it's about being lonely and finding an escape to cheer yourself up. And in the music video, the lonely bee girl finds bee friends of her own at the end. She found her happiness. You can so relate to her. Use this camp as your escape. Forget all of your troubles at home and enjoy yourself here. The song's the spirit lifter you need."_

_"If you say so," he replied with a half-smile._

_When they arrived at the soccer fields various campers were running around during a friendly game of flag football. April found her cabin mates nearby and pointed them out to Jackson. "There's my group. I'll see you later?" she said, sounding hopeful. "How about we sit together at dinner? I can introduce you to my friends then."_

_He slowly nodded and fully smiled at her. She was so darn cute and nice to him. "Okay. And umm… don't tell anybody about the flagpole incident. Can we keep that between you and me?" he pleaded worriedly._

_"Sure. Of course," she happily agreed before she waved at him as she walked away. "It was lovely meeting you, Jackson."_

_Despite the embarrassing first encounter with April, Jackson was thankful to find at least one new friend at camp – and an attractive one at that. He was instantly crazy about her._

* * *

Jackson couldn't believe the April he met in the elevator was also the same delightful redhead – the one who saved him from massive sunburn on the flagpole – from twenty years ago. After his first and only experience at summer camp, he never expected to see her face again. They had grown to become good friends during those eight weeks. He hadn't been very close to any girls prior to that.

Thinking back to their awkward teenage selves, they had both grown out of their goofy appearances, especially him. Tired of always being pushed around by bullies, he started to buff up during his sophomore year of high school. Ditched the glasses for contact lenses and eventually opted for laser eye surgery to fix his poor vision. He almost looked nothing like his 13-year old image.

April slightly looked the same to him, but older and more well-developed. She definitely got the boobs she wished for. Her lone dimple still stood out when she grinned. And her voice was similar. She ended up being right, that puberty would be kind to him. He now stood at 6'1" and with the help of exercise, he was a muscular womanizer.

And she had no idea who he was.

He watched her leave the locker room while she put her hair up in a ponytail after dressing into her navy blue scrubs. Until their first encounter in twenty years, he hadn't thought about April in about eighteen. Once girls discovered him in high school, she was a piece of his nerdy past. Nerd Jackson didn't exist anymore in his mind. He "died" when he was sixteen.

But seeing April again brought back great _and_ horrible memories of camp. However, he always found himself to be the happiest when he was with her. She was fairly special to him because in a way, she was his first and only summer "love" and she gave him one of the best summers of his life.

* * *

**There will be more character introductions coming up and a flashback in each chapter. Please leave some feedback! I'd love to know what you think of AU!Japril, so don't be shy :)**


	2. Wanna Be My Girlfriend?

**Thanks for the reviews, everybody! I really appreciate your feedback on this fic :) I'm posting this a day earlier than I had planned because you guys are awesome! Anyway, there will be a few twists coming up, so I hope you'll stick around to find out what happens next.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day two, dinner in the mess hall_

_April led Jackson to a table in the corner where her friends waited for her. She stood beside the table, nodding her head towards the anxious nerd next to her. "Guys, this is Jackson Fox. He's new here and needs some company, so I invited him to sit with us, okay?"_

_"Sure, that's cool. Hi, Jackson. I'm Lexie Grey," the girl sitting down introduced herself. She grinned widely at him, showing off the braces covering her top and bottom rows of teeth. Her dark brown hair was in pigtails just like April. The boy next to her had his nose buried in The Catcher in the Rye, so she nudged him with her elbow. "George! Introduce yourself."_

_Like Jackson, he wore glasses, though with smaller frames compared to the new kid's. His brown hair was combed over to one side. Setting his book down, he extended his arm out to him. "George. O'Malley, George," he awkwardly said. "I mean, I'm George O'Malley."_

_"Umm, yeah. I figured that out," Jackson chuckled as he shook George's hand. He and April sat down across from the other two. "Are you from Seattle too?"_

_"I've known Lexie and George since first grade," April answered, while she started eating her dinner. "The three of us always come to camp together."_

_Lexie wanted to know more about Jackson. She loved meeting new people. "What about you? Where are you from? Tell us everything about you," she eagerly asked._

_"Uhh…" Jackson stared at his plate and poked at his food. He wasn't comfortable bragging about himself. "I'm from Boston and it's my first time doing the camping thing. My mother forced me to come here. I like basketball and football, but I don't get picked much to play at school because nobody thinks I'm athletic. My bunk mates are mostly that type, so I don't fit in well with them."_

_"Oh, it's okay!" she assured him. "You can't be worse than George. He hates sports."_

_George scowled at his friend. "Reading awesome books can be exciting too," he said defensively. Picking up his book again, he showed the cover to April. "Have you read this one, April? If you haven't, you should. It's a good read."_

_April shook her head. "No, not yet." She smiled at the bashful nerd. "But thanks for the recommendation."_

_Lexie turned her attention back to Jackson. "How do you like Wazi so far?" He quietly responded with a shoulder shrug. She could tell by his body language that he hated being there. "Give it some time first. Before you know it, you'll be having fun with the rest of us. The best parts of camp haven't even happened yet."_

_"Yeah, she's right," the redhead reassured him. "And you have us for support if you need it."_

* * *

Staring at the reunited threesome from across the cafeteria, Jackson sipped his water as April reacquainted herself with her two childhood best friends. Lexie Grey-Sloan and George O'Malley. How could he have not remembered them? Perhaps the lack of braces threw him off with the urologist, but George… looking back at his teenage appearance, the trauma surgeon had barely changed. Same hairstyle and mannerisms, but lost the glasses. He blamed practically shutting off anything about his former nerd life. And twenty years was a lot of time to forget people's faces.

It felt surreal being in the same room as his three summer camp friends. They welcomed him into their group when nobody else would accept him. All four of them were outcasts in their own way. April, while friendly and perky, was a goody two shoes girl who followed the rules. Other girls hated her for constantly ratting them out to their counselor when they tried to break them. Lexie basically scared people off with her metal teeth and her overly outgoing personality. And George… was the complete opposite. Barely talked – except to April and Lexie.

Lexie attended Yale for medical school, which Jackson gave her grief over because of their rivalry with Harvard. However, he forced himself to be friends with her to stay on her husband's good list. A surgical urologist, she was married to Mark Sloan, the Head of Plastics and his boss. They exchanged vows three years ago after dating for five.

According to their coworkers, Mark used to be a sex-obsessed bachelor, sleeping around with anybody who had a vagina. Then Lexie arrived at Seattle Grace for her residency and he pushed his sleazy behavior aside for her. His boss' former persona was his hero. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived to work under him, he was tied down. Jackson speculated that Mark would have been the perfect mentor for his bachelorhood, though he didn't think he needed much help either. He charmed beautiful women alone, but he did have a wingman to accompany him at night.

"Dude, have you met the new peds attending? Freaking hot," Alex Karev blurted out as he placed his tray beside Jackson's. Sitting down next to his best pal, he snickered. "And I get to work with her. I am one lucky son of a bitch."

The pediatric surgeon was as sex crazed as Jackson, but he was nowhere near the perfectionist's level. He didn't live in a luxurious condominium or drive an expensive car. Being an Avery was a blessing for his reputation and bank account. But Karev? Not a common name in the surgical world, but he excelled at his job. Nobody quite understood why he chose Pediatrics for his specialty. His attitude didn't fit with little sick children. He was one of the most anti-children people in the hospital, but his reason for choosing peds could be summed up in three words: Single, lonely moms.

Alex studied at the University of Miami for medical school, followed by residency at Stanford where he met Jackson and he completed his fellowship at the Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Texas. It was the plastic surgeon who convinced him to join him at Seattle Grace last year. He initially preferred returning to Miami for the beaches and women, but his friend lured him away from the idea. They were offering the world to Jackson, yet he only promised to work for them if they hired Alex as well.

But Jackson hadn't been entirely honest with his colleague because the main reason why he wanted Alex in Seattle was to make himself look good next to someone who was below him in every way possible. Between the two of them, the pretty man snagged the hotter women. He knew how to woo them with his sweet talk, while his companion was more blunt and crude. They were both attractive men, but the ladies flocked to the plastic surgeon first.

"I did meet her," he answered Alex, his eyes focused on April. "Did you two talk about anything worth gloating about?"

"Uhh, well… Robbins introduced us and we talked for a few minutes. Her husband croaked a month ago from pancreatic cancer. She's shackin' up with her brother until she's settled in and finds a place of her own," the peds surgeon recalled, slowly shaking his head with a frown on his face. "That poor woman."

"Are you kidding me with that act?" Jackson skeptically retorted, rolling his eyes. "You are the least sympathetic person in this hospital. Her husband just died, jackass. Don't even think about doing what I _know_ you want to do."

"Give me a break," Alex scoffed. He playfully elbowed his friend's bicep and chuckled. "So when you met her, how long did it take before you asked her out, Avery? A chick as hot as Kepner? You were probably squirming in your freaking pants."

He couldn't deny that, but after realizing who exactly April was, he started viewing her differently. Throwing her in the same category as his one night stands was impossible because she didn't compare to them. While he hardly knew adult April, he believed she was the same person she was when they were thirteen. Thoughtful, kind and caring. He wanted to earn her trust and respect… and then sleep with her.

But first, she needed to find out who he was. He decided to wait for the perfect opportunity to surprise her.

Meanwhile at April's table, Lexie had been giving her a rundown of the various attendings having lunch with them in the cafeteria. One by one, she pointed them out to her best friend and briefly provided their backgrounds.

"Well, you already know Mer," the urologist said about her older sister, Meredith Grey. The neurosurgeon was seated beside an Asian woman at another table. "And that's Cristina Yang. She's a cardiothoracic surgeon. She and Mer live together. Everybody insists they're more than roommates, if you know what I mean. Neither of them have denied it nor have they confirmed it, but trust me when I say they're totally together."

April's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Meredith had always been into men since she was old enough to know what to do with them. When she and Lexie were young adolescents the older Grey sister had a new boyfriend every other week. And in medical school, she met a man named Derek Shepherd. They were all positive he was _the_ one because she stopped rotating men in and out of her life.

"What happened to that guy, umm… Derek?"

"You don't remember? They broke up five years ago," Lexie recalled. "Meredith caught him in bed with some red headed bimbo and threw his ass out. She hasn't spoken to him since."

"Oh, right. I forgot," she replied, slowly nodding her head. "Didn't she vow to never sleep with men again after that?"

Lexie softly chuckled. "Yup. Turns out she was serious. The proof is sitting beside her." She pointed her fork at the next table over. A blonde woman and a Latina woman were seated with a man with red hair and another blonde woman. "Obviously, you met Chief Robbins. Next to her is Callie Torres. She's an orthopedic surgeon and Arizona's best friend. Beside her is Owen Hunt, Head of Cardiothoracics. He's from Scotland, has a very thick accent. Most of us can't understand what he's saying half the time. And the other blonde is Teddy Altman. She's George's boss."

April casually scanned the rest of the cafeteria. Her eyes found Jackson, who immediately looked away after making eye contact with him. She wasn't the type of person to judge a person upon their first meeting, but her initial impression of him was gorgeous, yet arrogant. Alex, on the other hand, was charming and made her feel welcome. He even cracked a few pathetic jokes to make her laugh, but she found him endearing. Nothing at all like the plastic surgeon.

"What should I know about those guys over there?" she asked, nodding her head towards the bachelors' table. "Avery seems a bit douchey, but Karev… he was really sweet to me when I met him."

Both George and Lexie erupted in laughter, drawing a look of confusion from April. "Don't let him fool you. Karev's a first class jerk. You need to stay away from those two," the brunette warned her. "Alex is disgusting. You want to know why he's in peds? To sleep with single mothers of his patients. And it's not just them. Nurses, interns… if they have big breasts, he'll bang them."

"And Avery, the interns and residents call him Dr. Jackass behind his back," George added. "He's inconsiderate. All he cares about is himself. Zero respect for everyone else, even Alex. Last month, those two were both sleeping with Izzie Stevens from OB. When the truth came out Jackson apparently threatened to have Alex fired if he refused to stop having sex with her. He completely controls him. The guy doesn't have much of a backbone against Avery."

"And they're _friends_?" April was growing less impressed with Jackson. "Why would Alex take that crap?"

Lexie rolled her eyes and groaned. "They're both dogs and Jackson helps him get women. They sleep around _a lot_. Honestly, they should consider themselves lucky for not getting any of their one night stands pregnant." She quickly shrugged her shoulders. "But maybe there _are_ little Avery's and Karev's running around and they haven't got a clue."

"Jackson asked me out this morning when I met him in the elevator," the peds surgeon admitted, shaking her head in disgust. "He wanted to take me back to his condo or whatever. You think he would've still asked me out if he knew my husband just died last month?"

"Yes," her friends answered in unison.

"Like I said, he only cares about himself," George repeated. "All he wants to do is get laid on a daily basis, while he earns a multimillion paycheck. After he sleeps with a woman, they're gone from his memory. You don't want to be that girl, April. I know you far better than anyone else and you deserve a gentleman. Someone who will always respect you and- and be there for you when you need a shoulder to cry on."

April smiled at the trauma surgeon. "Aww, thank you, Georgie," she acknowledged, resting her hand on top of his. "You've always been so sweet. You are going to make one special lady very happy someday."

George nervously laughed. Since he was ten years old, he had been head over heels for his best friend. He never built up the courage to tell her how he felt and his dreams of being with April were shattered when she married her husband six years ago – not that he had a perfect opportunity to make his confession. She met Matthew Taylor at Duke and they were college sweethearts, so she was off-limits for more than a decade.

He felt guilty for hoping April was ready to move on because his friend hadn't been her usual perky self until recently. Poor Matthew had done nothing wrong in his life to deserve the fate he was dealt. A hardworking firefighter, the news came as a shock to them because he was healthy, but by the time his pancreatic cancer was discovered, it was in the later stages. There was nothing anybody could do. They used to joke his death would occur while he was busy rescuing a young child from the top floor of a burning building. But no, the big C got him first.

One day, he would finally admit that he, George O'Malley, was in love with April Kepner. And he hoped she would reciprocate those feelings and they would live happily ever after. He thought she was the only woman who could possibly give him a chance because no one else had. Even as an adult, his obsession with _Star Wars_ and classic books weren't attracting flocks of single women to him. Plus, he had difficulty talking to them in the first place. His self-esteem issues never disappeared as he grew older. Men like Jackson and Alex didn't do anything to help improve his confidence either.

April's pager beeped beside her waist and she immediately checked to see who it was. "Oh, yay. I'm needed for a consult," she chirped, standing up and taking her tray with her. "Somebody already trusts me enough to page me."

She exchanged quick goodbyes with her friends before she left the cafeteria. Humming to herself as she walked to her department's floor, she stopped in her tracks when she heard a man's voice calling her name from behind. Turning around, it was Jackson, who caught up with her in the hallway.

"Umm, yes?" The redhead pointed over her shoulder. "I have a consult to get to."

"Actually, the page came from me," Jackson boasted, placing his hands on his hips. He grinned, while she stared back at him unamused. "I was wondering if we could find a private area to chat for a bit. Do some catching up?"

"Catching up?" she asked with a puzzled expression on her face. "About what exactly? I only met you this morning."

He licked his lips and flashed his charming smile at her. "Ah, but there's something you should know about me and believe me when I tell you, you're going to be _very_ surprised," he insisted.

She folded her arms, unimpressed by his mannerisms. "That you sleep around?" she accusingly replied. He reacted by raising both of his eyebrows. "Umm, yeah. I recently got the 411 about you from some friends. And before you try to make anymore advances towards me, I'm not interested."

"W-wait a minute," he nervously stated, forcing himself to laugh. "Don't you think the most reliable source for information about myself is well… _me_?"

"Hmm… who should I trust more – a man I only met this morning or two of my best friends who I've known since I was six years old?" April teasingly questioned as she stroked her chin. She gently bit her lower lip, then she sighed. "I'll choose my friends. They wouldn't lie to me."

"But you haven't given me a chance," Jackson complained.

"Why should I give you a chance? I barely know anything about you, Dr. Avery," April retorted. "And for your information, my husband – who I had known for thirteen years – finally succumbed to pancreatic cancer last month. If I am ever ready to move on from him, I certainly wouldn't decide to date a man who sleeps with a new woman every night. Do me a favor and quit while you're ahead because the only time I will talk to you is for professional reasons. Tell your buddy, Karev, that I'm not interested in him either."

The plastic surgeon grimaced as April walked down the opposite direction. He cursed at himself because he should have known George and Lexie would inform her of who to integrate with and who to avoid. Jackson wasn't an idiot. He was aware of the fact that most of his colleagues loathed him, especially the ones he never called back. Jealously, he claimed. He couldn't help it that he was good looking and an excellent surgeon. But his summer camp sweetheart thought he was a disgusting manwhore. It was going to take more than straightforwardly telling her who he was to earn her trust.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day five_

_A teary-eyed Jackson sat alone on the dock holding a Kleenex underneath his nostrils. An unexpected run-in with the group of counselors who had been bullying him resulted in a bloody nose. Maybe he should have paid more attention to the basketball coming his way, he thought. He had quick hands and could catch. Just that one time he wasn't ready for it._

_His nose wasn't broken. Bruises hadn't developed underneath his eyes and it didn't feel fractured. The only thing broken was his pride. In Boston, his nerd status initiated teasing, but nothing ever physical. At camp, he was literally being pushed around like a rag doll. He contemplated turning in those counselors to the directors, but he didn't want to be that boy – the wuss who couldn't stand up for himself and needed adults to protect him. He learned to defend himself against his older brothers, though Mama Avery had the tendency to baby him whenever she caught them picking on him. That only garnered more teasing from his siblings._

_He was determined to fight back one day, be that man everyone feared because he could intimidate the crap out of them. The next time the counselors arrived to bully him again, he would be ready… he hoped._

_The sound of footsteps stole his attention. Looking up above him, April stopped beside him, smiling brightly as always. He preferred to be alone, but he decided to make an exception with the redhead._

_"Hey, can I sit with you?" she cheerfully asked. He quietly nodded, then she sat down next to him and let her legs dangle over the edge. April quickly took note of the bloody tissue and the glossy eyes. "Why are you crying? What happened?"_

_"I-I I'm not crying," he lied, blinking his eyes to hide his tears. "Anyway, it's nothing. Stupid me kept my eye off of the ball during a basketball game. I'm okay."_

_April shrugged as she swung her legs back and forth. "Still having a hard time fitting in?"_

_"I thought people were supposed to be accepting here," he bitterly replied. "So far, they're all jerks."_

_"Even me?"_

_Jackson shook his head and softly smiled at April. "No, you're cool." He moved the Kleenex away from his nose and checked to see if it was still bleeding. Fortunately, it had stopped. He hardly wanted to embarrass himself in front of her by having blood drip out of his nose. "So… why are you here?"_

_"Free time. Saw you sitting here by yourself, so I thought we could hang out," she answered. Reaching for his glasses, she giggled when he moved his head away. "Take a chill pill. I was just curious to see how you look without those on. Can I see?"_

_"Umm, why?"_

_"Just 'cause. C'mon, lemme see," April pleaded. "I won't laugh at you if that's what you're worried about. I don't even laugh at you with your glasses on, Jackson."_

_Jackson shyly smiled as he removed his large eyeglasses. He held them against his lap and turned his head towards April. She appeared mesmerized by something on his face. "W-what? Is there a bug on my nose?"_

_"No. Your eyes," she gushed at his bluish-green eyes. "I've never seen such pretty eyes before. It's like a mixture of blue and green. That's so rad."_

_He wished he could clearly see the impressed smile on her face, but his crappy vision only let him see a human blur in front of him. His eye color came from his father's side, probably the only gene he was grateful for from his estranged dad. Quickly putting on his glasses again, the awkward teenager could barely make eye contact with her._

_"I… umm, I think you're cute," he admitted, ducking his head sheepishly. "You- you don't have to say it back."_

_April smiled as she bashfully brushed loose strands of her hair behind her ear. A boy thought she was cute! She rarely heard those words come out of her male classmates' mouths at school. And Jackson was quite the looker as well. He probably didn't believe it because his glasses were the main attraction on his face, but those eyes… how could anybody not adore them?_

_"I think you're cute too," she softly said. "I mean it."_

_"Really?" he squeaked, then he cleared his throat and in a deeper voice he repeated, "Really?"_

_She laughed at his attempt to cover up his changing voice. Tightening her neon green scrunchie, April was at a loss for words. Perhaps for the first time. Sitting next to a boy who thought she was cute, she didn't know how to continue their conversation. She and her mother hadn't had the "talk" about boys yet, so she had no idea what she was supposed to do._

_"Umm…"_

_"Wanna be my girlfriend?" he suddenly asked, drawing a look of surprise from her. Jackson fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt as he visualized April pushing him into the lake. "I… I was just kidding. I said you were cute, y-you said I was cute, so-"_

_"Okay!" April excitedly interrupted. She nervously bit her lower lip and folded her hands on top of her lap. "Well, if you were just kidding, then… I'm kidding… too. I-I I've never had a boyfriend before."_

_Jackson pushed up his glasses with his finger. "I've never had a girlfriend. And… I wasn't kidding," he timidly replied. He slowly scooted closer to her until the material of their shorts were touching. "So… it's official then."_

_She nodded as her cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Yeah…" It became uncomfortably silent between them again. Calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend wasn't enough, so she removed a black, red and yellow threaded bracelet from her wrist. "Here, you can have this."_

_He stared at the bracelet like it was an unknown entity. "What is it?"_

_"It's a friendship bracelet, duh," she chuckled and tied it around Jackson's left wrist. "I made it yesterday. Now, you can have it 'cause you're my boyfriend and all."_

_"Oh, uhh… thanks. I should give you something too," he suggested. Reaching behind his neck, he removed a necklace and held it in front of her. It was a black cord with a circle dangling from it. Inside of the circle was a green hologram with the face of an alien inside. "You probably think it's weird, but… I want you to have this."_

_April smiled as Jackson hooked the necklace around her neck for her. She picked up the hologram and briefly watched it move whenever she tilted the circle. "Cool. It like follows you and stuff. Thank you, Jackson."_

_Jackson let out a sigh of relief. His boldness wasn't disastrous after all. April tightly clutched the necklace with her thumb and index finger as she watched fellow campers pass by in their canoes. He slowly raised his arm behind her back, wanting to rest it against her shoulder. However, he quickly changed his mind and placed his hand back down on the surface of the dock without her noticing._

_He wasn't that bold yet._

* * *

Jackson sifted through his closet searching for a very important box. In the farthest corner of his walk-in closet, he found the box he had been looking for – a brown cardboard box, which he had written "Box of Crap" on the side. Inside of the box were various memorabilia from over the years. Some with sentimental value, some he couldn't remember why he dumped them in there in the first place.

But the most important piece of his past remained inside of a red and gold tin case at the bottom of his collection of so-called crap. He hadn't opened it in years and it wasn't until meeting April again did he remember the tin case was in that box. Setting it in front of him, he opened the lid and picked up a Polaroid picture of the two of them from camp. They were slightly dressed up in the photograph and he remembered it was taken at one of the dances held in the gymnasium.

There were other pictures inside, some with George and Lexie and others with April alone. A piece of paper had her address written on it. He felt like a douche for never actually writing to her after that summer. She had written a letter to him, but he hadn't returned the favor. He couldn't recall why, though.

And finally, he found the friendship bracelet she had given him that day at the docks. It was too small to fit around his wrist now, but he planned on bringing it to work the following day to show April that he had kept it all along. No more bullshit. He was going to tell her that Jackson Fox was also Jackson Avery.

* * *

**Let me know what you think please :) Next chapter, you'll meet Jackson's bully in a flashback!**


	3. What's Your Deal?

**Thank you for the reviews! I am having fun writing this, so thanks for reading! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Dude, where the hell were you last night? Joe's was packed with hot chicks," Alex questioned while he changed into his navy blue scrubs beside Jackson in the attendings locker room. For the first time in months, his partner in crime had been missing in action at the bar across from Seattle Grace Hospital. The only other time he hadn't explored a bar or club with him was when the plastic surgeon came down with the stomach flu. "Listen to this. There was this brunette chick and her blonde friend. Both of them wanted me. I couldn't decide who to bring home, so I took both. Freaking hot."

"I bet," Jackson muttered as he tied the strings of his scrub pants. "I took the night off. Wasn't in the mood."

The peds surgeon stared at him dumbfounded. "You weren't in the mood? Are you sick?" he asked curiously. His friend simply shook his head in response. "C'mon, man. Something's up. What's your deal? I know you and you don't just blow off a night of hot sex with a chick for no reason at all."

"I really wasn't in the mood. It happens sometimes."

Instead of searching for his latest one night stand at Joe's with Alex, Jackson relaxed in his bedroom twisting the friendship bracelet from April in between his fingers. The memento triggered an array of memories from his past, specifically the one year he attended summer camp. He also couldn't stop staring at the Polaroid pictures of his 13-year old self with his first girlfriend. She was pretty then and even more beautiful now. He found himself infatuated with her. It almost scared him because he never wanted to feel attached to any woman he was attracted to.

He kept the friendship bracelet inside of his laptop bag and he planned on showing it to April when the timing was right. For now, he was focused on prepping for a breast augmentation, which was scheduled an hour from when he arrived at the hospital.

"Okay, whatever. I don't mean to rub it in your face- no. Actually, I _do_ want to rub it in your face. The chicks I brought home were freaking incredible. Apparently, they're former gymnasts, so you can imagine how flexible they were in bed," Alex gloated.

He began thrusting his hips, while he playfully waved his hand in a spanking motion. Jackson raised his eyebrow at him as he beatbox to the tune of "Ice, Ice, Baby". He rolled his eyes and looked away from Alex. "Dumbass," he mumbled to himself.

April entered the locker room, stopping a couple of feet away from her cubby. Alex hadn't stopped his obnoxious thrusting and beatboxing when she arrived and caught him in the act. "Ahem," she interrupted, causing both men to immediately notice her.

Alex quickly waved at his coworker and smiled. "Good morning, Dr. Kepner. You're looking quite stunning today," he greeted her.

"Tell that to somebody who's gullible enough to fall for your fake charm," she sneered as she placed her purse inside of her cubby. "But good morning to you too."

Jackson briefly glanced down at his shirtless torso, then he smugly grinned and turned to face April. "How are you doing this morning, Dr. Kepner?" he politely asked. "I hope Karev didn't disturb you in any way."

She forced herself to laugh. "Disturb is an understatement, but to answer your question, I'm doing alright," she casually replied, her eyes taking notice of his chiseled abs and chest. Even she couldn't deny the fact that Jackson had a delicious body, but she refused to fall for his attractive appearance. "A-and… how are you, Dr. Avery?"

He took a step closer to her, taking in the scent of her perfume from where he stood. "I'm feeling pretty good. Woke up in a nice mood. I always believe your day's automatically ruined if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. What do you think?"

"I suppose that's true," she murmured, avoiding eye contact with him as she removed her jacket. April felt his eyes staring her down and she immediately turned her back towards him. "Is there something you need?"

"Uhh, yeah. Sort of," he said and leaned forward close to her ear. "How about you and I meet up for lunch? I mean, if you're not busy with a surgery, we could find a quiet place to eat and talk."

April angrily spun around. "What part of 'I'm not interested' did you not understand yesterday?" she sternly asked and grabbed her scrubs from her cubby. "And put your freaking shirt on. You're pathetic."

Jackson was speechless as she disappeared into a private restroom to change out of her clothes. He heard Alex laughing behind him and slowly turned around to face him. "Shut up. She thinks you're shit too," he scoffed. Returning to his own cubby, he furiously wore his scrub top. "She might have given me a chance if she hadn't walked in on you acting like an idiot."

"Dude, this isn't my fault," Alex retorted and slipped on his lab coat. "Don't even bother with her, Avery. After losing her husband last month, you know she won't put out for anybody. She's a dead end for your schlong. And that smooth talk crap obviously isn't gonna work on her. You sound like a dweeb anyway."

"Hey!" he snapped, shoving the peds surgeon with one hand. "Don't call me that again, asshole."

"Whatever," his friend nonchalantly replied. He walked towards the exit muttering, "One day without sex and you become so freaking uptight. You need to get laid ASAP, bro."

Jackson sighed in annoyance. He had heard his friends and coworkers call him a variety of names, ranging from douche bag to some very vulgar nicknames, but nothing set him off more than the word dweeb. Nobody knew why that specific name pissed him off greatly, though.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day nine_

_Walking back alone to his cabin after lunch, Jackson simultaneously kicked a rock in front of him with his hands inside of his pockets. He heard rustling coming from the bushes beside him, so he stopped to examine his surroundings. Probably a bird, he thought. He continued walking, his head slightly cowered as he stared at his Air Jordan sneakers._

_Suddenly, a hand grasped the back of his neck and a familiar voice made him cringe. "How ya doin' Dweebles?" the counselor he loathed the most taunted. "So I heard Weebles wobble, but don't fall down. I don't think that rule applies to Dweebles, though."_

_Jackson reached for the counselor's arm, but he used his other hand to slap the nerd's away. He had no idea what the older teenager's name was. The campers only referred to him as The Hawk because he sneakily preyed on innocent nerds like him. He sported a unique hairstyle that resembled Vanilla Ice – a high top fade with stripes shaved in on the sides. His eyes were always covered with his shiny black sunglasses. The Hawk was basically a poor man's version of the rapper._

_"What's the point of fighting, loser? You know you won't win," he arrogantly teased. The taller and stronger counselor tightly gripped the back of Jackson's neck as he pretended to dribble his head like a basketball. "Dweebles wobble and they most definitely fall down."_

_Before he knew it, his face befriended the dirty path after being thrown to the ground. Pushing himself up, The Hawk stepped on his back while he and his fellow counselors passed over him. They each called him a different name, but Dweebles bothered him the most. Half of his face was covered with dirt as his eyes stung with tears. For once, he hoped he wouldn't cry after being abused by bullies, but his toughness level was fairly weak._

_A pair of shoes stopped next to his head, followed by a hand reaching down to help him. "Are you okay, Jackson?" George asked concerned. "I uhh, I saw those guys picking on you. I-I I would've jumped in to stop them, but I didn't want to get my ass kicked today."_

_Jackson willingly took George's hand and slowly stood up. "You're wise for not helping, but thanks," he acknowledged, brushing the dirt off of his clothes. "At least I didn't bleed this time."_

_"Why don't you just report them to the directors?"_

_"Because one of these days, I'll finally stand up to them. I don't need somebody else doing my job for me." He walked alongside his fellow nerd, who was clutching a new book in his hand. "What are you reading now?"_

_"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," George answered, showing him the cover. "I think April would like this one too."_

_Jackson eyed George suspiciously. For every different book he read, he always mentioned April possibly sharing the same interest as him. It was a no-brainer he crushed on her. But the Boston native got her first. She was his girlfriend. They hadn't bragged about it to anybody, though. It wasn't like they had done any boyfriend-girlfriend things together. Both of them were shy and awkward about it._

_"Does she read a lot of books like you do?"_

_"Maybe not as much as me, but I try to read the ones that I think she would like." George rubbed the back of his head. "I… I have a hard time relating to her. Well, any girl for that matter. April doesn't know I like her. C-Could you not tell her? I want to tell her at the dance on Saturday."_

_"The dance?" Jackson adjusted his glasses. "Do we need dates?"_

_"No. You just show up," he replied. "But the older kids, they take it more seriously, so they try to pair up with each other. Slow dances are kind of a big deal because you can figure out who likes who based on how close their bodies are. I'm hoping my first dance with April won't be lame. It's hard to look her in the eye sometimes."_

_He slowly nodded in agreement. "I can see why. She's… she is pretty cute."_

_"She's not just cute. April's the most beautiful woman ever," George insisted. "And she's super nice, she has a cute laugh-"_

_"She's got this one dimple that stands out when she smiles," Jackson added. "That's one of my favorite parts about her."_

_"Whoa, whoa. Wait a gosh darn minute," the shorter boy interrupted their conversation, placing his hand on the new kid's chest. "Do you like April too? Because that's not fair. I saw her first. I've known her much longer than you have."_

_Jackson stared at George with a puzzled expression on his face. "So what? April thinks I'm cute, so I asked her to be my girlfriend," he admitted and shrugged. "She said yes. Sorry, dude."_

_George furiously threw his book at Jackson, hitting him in the face and knocking off his glasses. "I had a feeling letting you into our group was a bad idea," he harshly said before he walked away. "You turd."_

_Picking up his glasses from the ground, he blew away the dirt from the lens before wearing them again. He didn't expect the quiet nerd to explode the way he did. He felt embarrassed that even little George O'Malley could make him feel like a loser. Fortunately, nobody had seen the incident between them, so he scurried off to his cabin as quickly as possible._

* * *

Minutes after scrubbing out of his breast augmentation procedure, Jackson received a page from the ER. He reported to George in one of the trauma rooms and grimaced at the sight of the patient on the gurney. His face was mutilated and there were large lacerations all over his body.

"What in the hell happened to this guy?" the plastic surgeon inquired while he tied a trauma gown over his scrubs. "He looks like he was mauled by a bear or something."

"That's exactly what happened," George answered as he attempted to control the bleeding from the man's abdomen. "His name is Jeff Watson, age 43. Was out hunting in the woods when a bear attacked him unexpectedly. A portion of his nose was ripped off and he's lost a lot of blood from his other wounds. It's possible he suffered internal injuries as well. I've already set him up with a blood transfusion, but we need to take him to the OR stat. We'll need more than our hands for this one."

Jackson nodded in agreement, then he turned towards one of the residents standing nearby. "Brooks, page Sloan and Altman. Tell them to meet us in OR- O'Malley, do you already have a room reserved?"

"OR 2."

"You heard the man, Brooks. Page them now or do I have to do it myself?"

George watched Heather Brooks rush towards the nearest phone as he pushed the gurney out of the room. "She can handle it just fine, Avery. No need to get snooty about it," he irritably said. During pressure situations, he was more confident and delegated better. Even Jackson couldn't boss him around.

Assisting the trauma surgeon into the elevator, Jackson examined the patient's butchered nose. The tip was missing and he could partially see the nasal bone where cartilage should be covering it. He would require a nasal reconstruction and skin grafts for his other injuries. A great day for a plastic surgeon. It wasn't often a patient was mauled by a bear and brought into the ER. He also realized the surgery could take hours, which meant zero time to speak to April until it was all over.

* * *

Inside of OR 2, Jackson operated on Bear Chowder – as he preferred to call him, to the dismay of his fellow surgeons – with George, Mark and Teddy. He focused on his damaged nose, while his boss worked on the various gashes on his thighs. George was busy fixing a perforated colon and Teddy worked on saving the man's lacerated liver. So far, the patient's vitals remained stable thanks to the blood transfusion provided to him, but they still had a long way to go before they were certain he would survive.

"This man was lucky to make it out of the attack alive," Teddy commented and sighed. "How did he escape?"

"His buddy says he fired his gun and scared the bear away. He was barely conscious when he arrived in the emergency room," George explained. "I believe his wife is coming from Tacoma. Brooks will keep her updated when she arrives."

"He's going to need a full-thickness graft for both of his thighs," Mark announced, shaking his head. "He's lost a significant amount of tissue. I may use his abdominal wall for this or perhaps an allograft. His body's been chopped up enough. Also, there may be some possible femoral nerve damage, so how about paging Grey in here? Get a second opinion."

"Dr. Murphy, please page Meredith Grey. Tell her she's needed in OR 2," Teddy ordered. She briefly checked on Jackson's part of the surgery. "What are your plans for his nasal reconstruction, Avery?"

"I'm contemplating taking cartilage from his rib cage for the nose. I've had many successful rhinoplasty procedures with this approach. This shouldn't be any different. He'll appear as if his nose was untouched," the plastic surgeon gloated, completely unaware of the eye rolls and head shakes from his peers. "Who knows? Maybe he'll end up looking more attractive than before the bear attacked him."

Mark slowly gazed up at Jackson. "What makes you think this man wants to change the way he looks? And you should consult with him before you decide anything. His nasal reconstruction can wait. The rest of his body can't," he lectured. As annoyingly arrogant as the younger surgeon was, he couldn't resist wanting a guy like Jackson in his department. Being the best mattered to him regardless of how poor his attitude was.

Jackson quickly shrugged. "Sometimes change is good. When you have the opportunity to change for the better you take it," he insisted. "I mean, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, but you're speaking for shallow reasons. A personality change is more important," George insinuated. "Appearance doesn't matter if your personality isn't likable."

"Says Casper the Friendly Ghost," he countered, smirking behind his surgical mask. "So, what quotes from sci-fi flicks do you use as pick-up lines, O'Malley? Have they worked?"

"Knock it off, Avery. This isn't grade school," Teddy scolded him. She would love nothing more than to gauge his pretty eyes out with her scalpel. "Either continue discussing our patient or don't say anything at all."

Jackson softly chuckled to himself. Ever since he hit on Teddy during his first day at Seattle Grace, the Head of Trauma had always despised him. She threatened to have him fired, but Arizona only gave him a warning for his unprofessionalism. That was when he decided to stick with nurses, residents, interns and women from the bars for his daily sexcapades. His fellow attendings were either married, attached to somebody else or completely turned off by him. But there was one new attending he hoped he still had a slim chance with.

"So, umm… Kepner," he changed the subject. "She seems like a very nice woman."

"Don't even think about it, Avery," Mark warned, furrowing his eyebrows at him. "Her husband just died. Leave her alone. There are plenty of other unsuspecting women to choose from."

He guffawed at his boss' statement. "All I said was she's a very nice woman."

George's head shot up from their patient and he sternly glanced at Jackson. "And she's a good person who doesn't need to be corrupted by your sleazy antics," he bluntly said. "April is also not into superficial people like you. Get over yourself already."

"Because I complimented somebody that makes me the bad guy now?" Jackson retorted. "I swear, this hospital can be too sensitive at times. People need to grow thicker skin."

"Avery, leave the OR," Mark demanded without bothering to look at him. "I'll find someone else to cover the nasal reconstruction. You're off this case."

"Are you kidding me?" he replied angrily. "Since when did you care about anything I've said? You normally just laugh off the crap I tell you."

"That's because I have to pretend to like you," the Head of Plastics confessed. "Now, get out."

Jackson wasn't planning on arguing with Mark unless, he wanted to lose his job. Setting his instruments aside, he walked away from the operating table and removed his gloves and gown. He threw them away, kicking the door open in frustration as he left the room. It was the first time in his surgical career that he had ever been kicked out of an OR. He felt humiliated after the sounds of snickers behind him were audible as he left.

Strolling down the hallway, he slipped his one hundred dollar bill printed scrub cap off of his shaved head. As he turned the corner, he spotted April heading towards his direction. She immediately tried to evade him by running into a supply closet, but he followed her inside. He blocked the door, so she couldn't leave.

"Dr. Avery! I swear to God, if you don't stop following me around and harassing me, I will report you to the Chief," she warned in a threatening tone. "It's only my second day working here and I already know there are plenty of doctors here who would love to see you fired."

"Just listen to me for a minute-"

"No! I stopped listening to you after I learned exactly who you are."

"But that's the thing. You don't exactly know who I am." He pointed at himself impatiently. "It's me, Jackson. Jackson Fox from summer camp. Remember? Twenty years ago, we met at Wazi. You found me hanging by my shorts on the flagpole. I've been wanting to tell you since I figured out who you were yesterday."

April stared at him, her mouth slightly dropped open. Although she hadn't thought about Jackson in years, she never forgot about him. His bluish-green eyes, which she had been fascinated with during that entire summer, instantly stood out to her. Her surprised reaction made him smile because he knew she remembered him now.

"Oh my gosh," she murmured, shyly smiling back at him. "It's- it's really you?"

He nodded, bashfully holding his hands behind his back. "Yeah, Fox was my mother's maiden name. I decided to cover up my name because I thought maybe somebody would connect the dots."

"At a _summer camp_?" she teasingly asked with a smirk on her face. "Seriously, I doubt anybody would've given a crap about your name."

"You never know who's creeping around," he sheepishly replied, then he sighed. "It's good seeing you again, April."

"I wrote to you after that summer," she recalled, gently biting down on her lower lip. "But you never wrote back. I was disappointed, to say the least. I thought we were going to be long distance pen pals or something, but I guess I expected too much from our time at camp."

Jackson slightly frowned. "Look, I'm sorry. I did get your letter, but I was hesitant to write you back. I don't remember why, though. My older brothers probably found it and gave me a hard time about it, so I chickened out," he apologetically said. "I still have the letter – and the friendship bracelet you gave me."

April laughed out loud. "You do?" She placed her hand against her chest. "I have that alien necklace you gave me too. The hologram still works. My daughter's so awestruck by it when it moves. She wears it sometimes."

"Daughter?" The word slipped out like it was a horrible curse word. He forced a smile. "You have a daughter?"

"Yup. She's three," she cheerfully answered. "Her name's Madison, but I call her Maddy. She's my sweet angel."

Jackson slowly nodded his head. "I see."

Just when he thought they were finally making positive progress she had to drop a bomb on him. April had a daughter, who most likely was as delightful as she was, but he knew things had grown more complicated for him. He didn't want kids and barely adored the ones belonging to other people. Even if he endured the bad luck of knocking up a one night stand, he wouldn't have wanted any part of the responsibility. Kids were a hassle. They were too hyper for him to handle. He didn't mind fixing them – because they were under anesthesia and asleep, so they couldn't bother him.

"Well, it makes sense for you to have a kid. You were married," he continued, but he immediately regretted his words when he saw the pained expression on her face. "Shit. I'm sorry… about your husband. It must have been extremely difficult for you to cope."

April sighed as her eyes became glossy. "It's... it's fine. I had a lot of time to prepare for his passing," she dejectedly said and cleared her throat while she ducked her head. "But I'm home, so I have a lot of support from my friends and family here. I'm mostly concerned with Maddy. She hardly got to know her father. She'll be okay, though."

He could tell she was fighting back her tears and hesitantly rested his hand on her shoulder. "Umm, you can let it out in here. It's just us," he assured her. She let her guard down and covered her mouth as she sobbed. He pulled her against his chest, hugging her tightly.

"I'm trying my best to get past the mourning phase, but some days are just too hard," she mumbled against his shoulder. The peds surgeon pulled away from him and quickly dried her eyes with the sleeves of her lab coat. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this. You apparently only care about yourself, so my problems are irrelevant to your life."

"Oh, c'mon," he groaned. "I know you prefer taking George and Lexie's words over mine, but that's not fair."

"I only know Jackson Fox. I have no idea who Jackson Avery is besides the information given to me," April truthfully replied. "And after finding out who you really are, I can't quite understand why you act the way you do. What happened to the sweet boy I became friends with at camp? He wasn't arrogant or a dick."

Jackson folded his arms. "I was a miserable teenager until I finally started defending myself. I buffed up and changed how I looked. Girls were finally noticing me in high school and I couldn't ignore that," he explained. "I worked hard to be where I'm at today. That pathetic nerd from my past was a loser. I'm a freaking winner now. I'm very close to being a plastics god."

She laughed to herself, shaking her head in disgust. "For a brief moment, I actually thought the kind and caring Jackson I befriended was still somewhere in there, but it's just an act. You're so fake," the redhead scoffed, then she walked past him and opened the door. "We're done here."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes after April left him alone in the supply closet. His optimism plunged as soon as he put his foot in his mouth. He also didn't get a chance to show her the friendship bracelet and probably wouldn't be able to anytime soon. She would likely avoid him until he could prove to her he was a trustworthy man.

* * *

**Let me know what you think please :)**


	4. How Did I Never Figure This Out?

**Thanks again for the reviews! So the finale gave me hope and I'm still not over the epicness that is Sarah Drew. She rocked last night's episode. Now all I want is for Jackson's balls to grow back. Hopefully, we don't have to wait too long!**

**Anyway, I know some of you are bummed at how douchey Jackson is in this fic, but please be patient. He's got a journey to maturity set up for him ;)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jackson had been frustrated with the lack of progress he hoped he would make with April. His first and second impressions only rubbed her the wrong way and she hardly wanted to be around him. He also wasn't used to rejection. Women practically fought in line for him and all he ever had to do was choose which attractive lady to bring home with him. It was a reversal of his nerdy teenage years when nobody noticed him or barely acknowledged his presence.

April was only one woman, a person from his past. Why was he beating himself over a childhood friend he knew little about? He could have any woman in Seattle, perhaps in the entire world.

What made the pediatric surgeon any different from them? He slept with bombshells, women with slender bodies and gorgeous long flowing hair. People called him shallow for it, but he wasn't sorry for his lifestyle. Most of their judgments never bothered him. He had been living this way for many years, even before he arrived at Seattle Grace, so he didn't feel he should change for anybody.

But Jackson couldn't shut April out of his thoughts. Not a bombshell, but she was beautiful. Didn't have long legs like most of the women he picked up, but her smile brought out the single dimple he admired when they were teenagers.

So he did what he knew best to distract himself from thinking about her – by finding a one night stand at Joe's. The woman he brought home to his condo was stunning. Her slightly curled blonde hair ran midway down her back. Perfectly tanned skin. Very nice, well-rounded breasts. _Not_ a screamer. The sex was amazing, but unlike with his past one night stands, he asked her to leave afterwards rather than allow her to spend the night. No explanation whatsoever. He didn't walk her to the front door like he did with everyone else, making him a bigger douche than he normally was.

One night stands just didn't give him the same excitement anymore. He blamed the good-natured redhead from his past for ruining his mojo. She was so sweet and innocent, while he was sleazy and egotistical. His arrogance was a mask to cover his insecurities. As much as he wanted to believe his former nerd persona no longer existed, he still existed deep inside, but he refused to accept that.

The following morning, Arizona organized an early meeting solely for the attendings at 7:45 AM. Every surgeon from their respective departments were gathered inside of one of the larger conference rooms, engaging in light chatter with each other and indulging in the pound cake their Chief brought in for breakfast.

It was never muffins, bagels or gourmet croissants from the Chief of Surgery. _Always_ pound cake. Nobody understood why, but she loved pound cake. Each attending gradually learned that the fluffy dessert was the ultimate key to her heart, especially when kissing her ass was necessary.

"Alright, everybody. Good morning, doctors," Arizona brightly greeted her staff as the conference room quieted down. She stood at the end of a table wearing a dark red blouse and a black skirt beneath her lab coat. "First off, I hope you've all had a chance to-"

The sound of the door opening interrupted her introduction. Lo and behold, Jackson entered the conference room late. The man was never late for anything and his tardiness surprised his colleagues. The silence inside was nerve wracking, especially with all eyes focused on the plastic surgeon. His routine had been ruined since his alarm clock buzzed. Instead of following his daily morning routine, he hit the snooze button and slept an extra thirty minutes, altering the rest of his habitual tasks.

There was an empty seat available in the one area he didn't want to be – at the table a foot away from Arizona. His boss eyed him all the way to his chair until he sat down, but she wasn't upset. More amused than anything else.

"It seems Mr. Perfectionist isn't so perfect after all," she scoffed, eliciting laughs from the other surgeons. "Dr. Avery, glad you can join us. Funny how things work out. The rest of my staff arrives on time and you make your grand entrance by being late. How about a nice round of applause for Dr. Avery?"

Jackson slightly shifted in his seat trying to make himself as small as possible, while his coworkers playfully applauded and cheered on his tardiness. He pursed his lips and personally wanted to respond with a snarky comeback, but disrespecting the Chief would only draw more hatred towards him.

"And where was I? Oh, yes. What I was about to say until I was rudely interrupted," she continued, smirking at the agitated plastic surgeon beside her, then she looked back at the rest of the room. "I hope you've all had a chance to meet our newest peds attending, Dr. April Kepner. She's a Seattle native, but spent the last eight years completing her residency and fellowship in Ohio. Please help her feel as welcome as possible if you haven't done so yet."

Lexie raised her hand, smiling at the group after Arizona called on her. "I also want to inform everybody that we're having a 'Welcome Home' party for April at the Sloan residence on Saturday beginning at 6 PM. You're all invited to come, so try to drop by whenever you're available," she announced.

"Thank you, Dr. Grey-Sloan," the blonde attending acknowledged before staring down at her print out of notes. "Moving on to the next topic of discussion on my list…"

April had zoned out Arizona when she began talking about the residency program. Her eyes drifted towards Jackson, who lightly tapped his fingers against the table while he stared down at his lap. She was the only person who hadn't applauded him for being late. She knew he had been bullied at camp, so the teasing he endured after arriving late probably reminded him of his nerd days. In a way, she felt a bit sorry for him because the reactions from their coworkers was brought on by his own bad actions.

She almost didn't want to believe he was the same Jackson she befriended at camp. Everything about him was completely different. His looks, his personality – he transformed into a gorgeous man with an ugly attitude. She had difficulty accepting him for the person he was in present time because she wasn't sure if she could trust him.

And the peds surgeon wondered if Lexie or George ever figured him out. Neither of them said anything about him being their old friend from twenty years ago. Jackson must have fooled them both, she thought. But at the same time, he didn't seem to recognize them either. Or maybe he did and refused to associate himself with former nerds like himself. She couldn't be sure without talking to her best friends about what she learned about him.

* * *

Following their staff meeting, April and Lexie decided to swing by the daycare center to visit their daughters. Both of them were three years old and almost spitting images of their mothers. Their only babies were born on the same exact day, June 8th. Perhaps it was simply a coincidence, but they liked to joke that giving birth on the same day showed how strong their friendship had been since they were six years old.

Madison had red hair just like April. She was a miniature version of the peds surgeon when she was a child, shy and soft-spoken. Lexie and Mark's daughter, Kylie, was a chatter bug like her mother and more outgoing.

Each little girl sat on their mother's lap while they doodled on a piece of paper with crayons. April decided to use their seclusion from the rest of the doctors to tell Lexie about her most recent encounter with Jackson.

"Do you remember Jackson Fox from Wazi?" she inquired, glancing down at Madison's drawing of what appeared to resemble a pig farm. "He only came to camp once and he was nerdy with huge glasses-"

"And a retainer!" Lexie finished, laughing as she remembered their friend. "Yeah, I remember. What about him?"

April looked up at her best friend. "Well… turns out he's actually Jackson Avery," she murmured. "The Jackson Avery who works _here._"

"No way!" the urologist gasped, her mouth dropping open. She shook her head in disbelief. Of the trio of friends, Lexie had the best memory, but based on her reaction she hadn't recognized Jackson at all since he started working at Seattle Grace. "Oh my gosh! How did I never figure this out? I'm usually good at remembering faces."

"He _has_ changed a lot since we were thirteen. George had no idea either?"

"I highly doubt it." Lexie softly chuckled to herself. "I've worked with Jackson for about a year now. I can't believe it's him. Huh, Jackson Fox… I haven't thought about that name in ages. Why did he use that name?"

"Some silly excuse about not wanting people to know he was an Avery," April replied, rolling her eyes. She wasn't as annoyed with Jackson like she had been the previous day, but it didn't necessarily mean she was ready to make nice with him. "Is it strange that I want to loathe him even though a part of me doesn't?"

The brunette doctor slowly shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but I understand why you're upset. You totally liked him when we were thirteen. He was your first boyfriend, your first slow dance, your first kiss…" she recalled. "Now, he's just a big douche."

"Jackson was so cute and sweet back then. Oh! And get this, I thought I was such a loser for keeping the necklace he gave me, but I found out he still has my friendship bracelet… and the letter he never responded to," she bitterly added. April felt extremely hurt and offended when her summer camp boyfriend didn't write back to her. She cried to Lexie about it after it took her a month to realize she was never getting a letter back from him. "It's impossible to avoid him in this hospital."

"Just be professional around him and if he says or does something douchey to you, then tell Robbins," Lexie advised. She thought back to their staff meeting that morning and giggled. "You broke him, April."

"What do you mean?" her friend responded, raising an eyebrow.

"Since he started working here, Jackson Avery has never been late for anything. He's a perfectionist, always on time for his appointments with patients. Right on the dot," Lexie explained, while she helped Kylie color her cat drawing with a purple crayon. "And I thought Mark was Mr. Perfect. Must be a plastic surgeon thing, but Jackson takes it to another level, so it was very uncharacteristic of him to be tardy."

April dismissively waved her hand. "There's no way you can prove he was late because of me," she skeptically replied. "He could've hit traffic on the way to work or… or the power in his home went out and he overslept because his alarm couldn't wake him up. Besides, I don't believe I'm that important to him."

Lexie smirked at the redhead sitting across from her. She could sense her friend was in denial about the situation. "Oh, please. Jackson was smitten over you. I observed you two during that entire summer and he stared at you with puppy love eyes," she argued and smiled. "You were definitely that important to him."

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day fourteen_

_Two weeks had passed since the beginning of Jackson's stay at Camp Waziyatah. It was a Saturday night and it marked the first official dance for campers ages thirteen and up. The dance was held in the small gymnasium where camp directors and counselors chaperoned the evening event. The walls were decorated with cheap colored streamers and a disco ball hung from the ceiling. Most of the teenagers were semi-dressed up. The boys wore collared shirts and jeans, while the girls took the dance more seriously, many of them wearing dresses they had packed for the three dances taking place over the course of the summer._

_Jackson crept by the refreshments and snacks table. There was a punch bowl sitting beside the pretzels, trail mix and chocolate chip cookies. Not much to eat, but he was too nervous to consume anything. He stood by a wooden post partially hiding himself from the world. His tormentors were grouped together on the opposite side of the room, wearing their sunglasses and trying to act cool in front of the girls. He spotted April dancing in the center with Lexie and other campers as the pseudo DJ blasted "Jump" by Kris Kross on the sound system. George was seated against a wall reading another one of his books. They hadn't spoken much since their small quarrel over April, but they occasionally greeted each other during breakfast, lunch and dinner._

_He spied on his adorable girlfriend, who wore a sleeveless yellow blouse and a white skirt. Her red hair was down and slightly held back by two white hair clips with a small plastic daisy on each one. She was already pretty in his mind, but she was even prettier made up._

_Because he had been hiding since he arrived at the dance, he and April hadn't seen each other yet. Although, Jackson was determined to share a dance with her. Boyfriends danced with their girlfriends. He refused to be the lame boyfriend who avoided his girlfriend all night due to his awkwardness._

_Double checking his outfit – a forest green Polo shirt, which was overly tucked into his khaki pants – he smoothed out the creases of his shirt, then he bent over and adjusted his Reebok Pump sneakers, giving each shoe two quick pumps. He pushed up his glasses with his finger and wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck with a handkerchief._

_The song ended as he timidly approached April with his hands stuffed inside of his pockets. Tapping her shoulder, he sheepishly smiled when she turned around to face him. "Hi, April," he softly greeted her. "Y-you look really nice."_

_"Thank you. So do you," she answered, her cheeks quickly blushing. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you."_

_"I uhh, I just got here," he reluctantly said. The dance started an hour ago and he actually spent that hour hiding from her and everyone else. "Do you umm… want to dance with me?"_

_April nodded eagerly and grinned. "Of course, boyfriend," she happily accepted._

_With perfect timing, the following song was slow. Jackson instantly grew nervous when Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" started playing from the speakers. It was his first slow dance and he could tell it was hers too because neither of them were moving from their spots as the campers surrounding them were already embraced in each other's arms._

_Lexie didn't hesitate to push her friend towards the nerd. "You can't slow dance if you're not touching, dorks," she teased, picking up April's arms and resting them over Jackson's shoulders. "Do I have to do all of the work for you guys?"_

_Jackson shuffled his feet as he placed his hands on April's waist. There was about a foot of space between them when they started slow dancing together. Both of their eyes wandered anywhere but directly at each other's. He was relieved he hadn't stepped on her foot yet._

_When they finally made eye contact the two teenagers bashfully smiled at each other. "I'm sorry if I suck at this," he muttered. "It's my first slow dance."_

_"No, it's fine. It's mine too," April replied, then she gently bit down on her lower lip. "Umm… we can probably move a little closer. I mean, if you're okay with that."_

_He quickly nodded. "Uhh, okay."_

_She stepped closer to him, her arms now wrapped around Jackson's neck. His hands rested against her lower back and he slowly grew comfortable slow dancing with her. Perhaps he had initially made it more awkward than it had to be. She was already his girlfriend, so he should've known better than to assume she would judge him from the second they met at the dance._

_"What are you doing after the dance?" he asked._

_"Going back to my cabin," she chuckled. "Our curfew starts an hour after it's over, remember?"_

_Jackson softly laughed, shaking his head in embarrassment. "Oh, right. Curfew. Stupid question."_

_"We could probably hang out for a little while or whatever," she suggested. "I don't really know how this boyfriend-girlfriend thing works, but I can't just ditch you after the dance. That would make me a lame girlfriend… I think."_

_"I… I can walk you back to your cabin," he offered._

_"I'd like that," April agreed, grinning widely at Jackson. "You're so sweet."_

_Watching them from afar was George, who had set his book aside when the song first came on. He wanted to share a slow dance with April, but his new nemesis got to her first. Seeing them together made him insanely jealous and he wanted to do something about it._

_So he jumped up from his seat, making his way towards the refreshments table. After pouring himself a cup of punch, he approached his fellow nerds as he casually sipped his drink. Once he was close enough to them, he pretended to trip over his own foot and spilled his punch all over Jackson's pants. April yelped as she stepped back hoping none of the punch stained her white skirt._

_"Oh, geez. I'm really sorry about that," George apologized, though he obviously wasn't sympathetic. He watched Jackson stare at the giant red stain on the front of his khaki pants as bystanders laughed at him._

_"Hey! Dweebles got his period!" The Hawk announced, pointing at his favorite nerd. His joke only made the campers laugh even harder._

_April frowned as Jackson ran out of the gymnasium covering the front of his pants. Their first slow dance ever was spoiled by her clumsy friend and unnecessary heckling. She felt bad for him because she doubted he would want to show his face anywhere again after the unfortunate incident. She noticed George snickering beside her causing her to shoot a glare at him. He immediately stopped and shrugged._

_"It was an accident," he claimed, then he cleared his throat and slightly smiled at her. "Wanna dance?"_

_"Sure, Georgie," she sighed._

_April placed her hands on George's shoulders, while he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist. He hardly wanted to make it obvious, but he felt like a kid in a candy store. He was slow dancing with his dream girl. Staring down at her chest, he tried his hardest to fight back a grin. But something else on his body wasn't as easy to restrain._

_And it was in his pants._

_"Oh, man," the uneasy nerd groaned._

_He suddenly ran off towards a random direction, leaving a confused April alone on the dance floor. "George! Where are you going?" she irritably called out, but her friend was long gone. First, Jackson left her and now, George. It was official – the first dance of the summer was pretty much a disaster._

* * *

Driving through the gated community of Mark and Lexie's neighborhood on Queen Anne Hill, Jackson arrived at his boss' home after leaving work a little later than he hoped he would. A routine nasal reconstruction took longer than expected after one of his numbskull residents dropped the cartilage he planned on using for his patient's new nose on the floor. The mishap forced him to harvest another set of cartilage and kick out the resident who screwed up.

After assigning a reliable resident to his post-ops, he could finally relax for the rest of his Saturday night. Most of his coworkers had already arrived at April's homecoming party making him the tardy person again. At least he hoped nobody would notice this time around.

The door was unlocked, so he let himself into the house. The sounds of people conversing with each other and music playing in the background filled the large living room and kitchen. Jackson carried a bottle of wine in one hand while he removed his sunglasses with the other. He scanned the area for April and found her mingling with Cristina by the kitchen.

"So, cardiothoracic surgery's been your dream since you were in high school?" April questioned, trying to spark an interesting conversation with Cristina. The Asian doctor was slightly reserved and mostly talked when she was required to. The peds surgeon had trouble understanding Meredith's relations with her.

"Yes. I always knew I would be a cardio goddess," Cristina confidently answered before sipping her beer. "It would be better if I could work under a boss who I can understand. Have you listened to Hunt speak? No freaking clue what he says 75% of the time with that Scottish accent of his."

"I haven't had the luxury yet, but I hope to work with him soon. Oh, and you too," she enthusiastically said. Glancing over the cardio surgeon's shoulder, she spotted Meredith nearby and she decided to ask, "How long have you and Meredith been together?"

Cristina blankly stared back at her. "What do you mean?"

The redhead nervously laughed as she brushed strands of her hair behind her ear. "Well… you two are umm, dating. I mean, that's what I've heard and I've known Mer my whole life, so-" She paused when her colleague walked away from her without responding to her question. "It- it was nice finally chatting with you!"

She gently slapped her forehead, shaking her head and mentally scolding herself for bringing up the touchy subject. Lexie had warned her that neither Meredith nor Cristina would confirm to anybody about their supposed relationship. Her first impression with the so-called cardio goddess wasn't the best and she knew it.

"Don't worry about her. She's a little kooky," Jackson assured April after sneaking up on her from behind. She turned around to face him, but she simply forced a half-smile at him. They hadn't communicated much since he revealed his identity to her. Just a few quick greetings in the hallway. He held up the bottle of wine. "I brought this as a gift."

"Thank you," she politely said, taking the bottle from him.

"And I brought along something else," he added, reaching inside of his jacket pocket. He pulled out the friendship bracelet and one of the Polaroid pictures taken of them at camp. "I thought you would like to have these."

April took the photograph, but she waved her hand at the bracelet. "Keep that. The bracelet's yours," she insisted before looking at the picture. She smiled at the sight of their teenage selves. They stood beside each other with the lake behind them. Jackson's arm rested comfortably around her shoulders. She giggled at his eyeglasses. "Gosh, you had the worst set of glasses. I can admit that now."

Jackson chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I can't disagree. They were awful," he concurred. "Listen, I was wondering if you and I could have dinner together next Friday night. It doesn't have to be a date. Casual. It can be casual if you want. I know you aren't impressed with how I live my life, but I just want to talk. It'll be completely innocent, I promise."

She sighed as she contemplated on her decision. He hadn't been forceful, but rather genuine. Everybody deserved a second chance – or third, in Jackson's case – to redeem themselves, she thought. "Alright, sure."

"Seriously?" he replied, a smile forming on his face.

"Yes, but don't even think about making a pass at me," she warned as she walked past him. "Trust me. You will be very sorry if you try."

The plastic surgeon grinned as he watched her walk away. "Believe me. I will be a really good boy," he teasingly said. Standing by the food was Alex, which didn't surprise Jackson at all. His wingman was always eating. He quickly approached him and nudged him with his elbow. "I just scored a date- well, sort of a date with April."

Alex wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Shit, really? What'd you say to change her mind about you?" he asked curiously. "I tried talking to her earlier and she flat out walked away. Freaking rude."

"I do what I know best. I work my charm," he bragged. Jackson's eyes followed April as she strolled through the living room to chat with other doctors. "Besides, we have a special connection. You wouldn't understand."

"Whatever, dude," the peds surgeon muttered. "Just remember to let me know how good she is after you screw her."

George pushed his way in between the two men and scooped dip onto his small plastic plate. "You guys are unbelievable. April's an amazing woman. Neither of you deserve her," he retorted after overhearing their conversation. "She probably pities you, Avery."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "And you think _you_ deserve her? I get you're the best friend who's been in love with her forever, but it's possible you two were never meant to be," he harshly replied. "Who knows? Maybe April loves it rough."

"Don't talk about her that way," the trauma surgeon angrily said, shoving the pretty boy with one hand. "Going out with her one time doesn't mean anything either. You think you're so much better than me because you can have any woman you want? At least I have respect for others and myself, which is what you're lacking."

Mark approached them before anything serious could erupt. He stood in between Jackson and George, spreading his arms out to separate them. "Do I need to kick some people out of my house? You know the rules. Mess up my home and you're out of here," he scolded them.

"I'm sorry, Sloan. Avery here thinks he's gonna score with April because she agreed to go out with him," George explained, smirking at Jackson from behind Mark's shoulder. The shorter man was one of his biggest ass kissers, but Jackson never understood why. They had nothing in common, yet his boss had the tendency to protect him.

"Is that so?" Mark grasped Jackson's shoulder as he led him away from George and Alex. He brought his coworker to a secluded area in the corner of the living room. "Let's set the record straight. I don't like guys like you going after my sister."

"Your- your _sister_?" Jackson replied with wide eyes. He glanced at April from across the living room before switching back to the Head of Plastics. The resemblance was nonexistent between the two people. "April's _your_ sister?"

"Stepsister, but her old man and my mom got hitched when she was four and I was nine, so we practically grew up together like we were always siblings. Anyway, she's my kid sister and I've always protected her from chumps like you." He poked Jackson's chest with his finger. "Hurt April and I will hurt you. I'll be watching you closely, Avery."

The younger surgeon swallowed hard as Mark left him alone, but not without turning around and pointing two fingers at his eyes, then pointing at him. When Alex mentioned April was living with her brother, never in a million years did he assume that same brother was Mark freaking Sloan. Learning she had a daughter was already a big enough obstacle, but now he also had to deal with her overprotective stepbrother, who also just happened to be his boss at work.

And when he finally thought he was off the hook, everything suddenly became even more complicated.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed my little twist for the Plastics Posse (and April) ;D**


	5. Did He Set This Up or Did You?

**Sorry for the delay, folks! Been busy entertaining relatives from out of town for the last couple of weeks, so I didn't have time for writing. Anyway, thanks for being patient :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Even after a full week had passed, Jackson struggled to wrap his head around the news he had learned about April's family. Mark Sloan already despised him because of his arrogant attitude and his infatuation with his stepsister only added more fuel to the fire. He suspected it would be damn near impossible to go out on a casual date with April without her older brother intervening in some way.

The tension between them at the hospital was unbearable. Everywhere Jackson went, he felt his boss' eyes following him. Trying to visit the Pediatrics department was like attempting to cross the border into foreign territory. Mark practically banned him from every peds case that required a plastics consult, so he didn't have an excuse to take a peek at April. And he also kept the younger plastic surgeon busy by throwing case after case at him. While he had experienced a few protective older brothers during his high school years, none of them were as intimidating as the Head of Plastics. His job and his precious genitals were on the line.

It was Friday, which was supposed to be the day of his date with the perky redhead, but there was one problem – he didn't have a date planned. He blamed Mark for constantly distracting him with loads of paperwork and patients. Plus, he hadn't been able to speak to April since the party at the Sloan residence. She seemed to be avoiding him in the locker room and in the cafeteria because she was nowhere to be found whenever he was in those areas of the hospital. He also failed to get her cell phone number and nobody wanted to give it to him. He suspected Mark had something to do with that as well.

He was suddenly public enemy number one at Seattle Grace Hospital. The only person who bothered to give him any attention was Alex, but his jackass of a friend wasn't the best source for moral support.

Sitting behind a computer at the nurses' station, Jackson was almost finished updating a patient's file when he heard the voice of the one person he personally didn't want to listen to.

"Avery!" Mark called out as he approached the nurses' station. He stopped behind the counter, resting his forearms on top as he leaned forward towards his plastics attending. "Still taking April out tonight?"

"Well, of course. I mean, I don't have anything planned-"

"You will escort her out of this hospital by 7 PM," he interrupted, sternly staring at Jackson. "You will bring her to a nice, moderately priced restaurant where there are hundreds of witnesses to notice if you try to lay a hand on her. One with bright lights, none of those dark joints where you can barely see the person beside you."

"Sloan-"

"The Kingfish Café. You're taking her there," Mark continued, ignoring the scowl on his coworker's face. He sounded more like an overprotective father than a colleague handing out unsolicited dating advice. Stroking his goatee, the older plastic surgeon smiled. "Bring her home by ten. And _no_ detours to your condo either. In fact, no touching whatsoever."

Jackson sighed in annoyance and folded his arms. "April's a grown woman. I highly doubt she would appreciate you setting a curfew for her like she's a high school girl," he retorted. Pushing himself up from his desk chair, he stood face to face with Mark. "I'm not going to do anything to her, alright? Trust me just this once, please."

"No way. I can't trust a man who is the person I used to be," he scoffed, shaking his head. "I know all of the tricks, Avery. Sometimes I truly believe I invented them. So, no. I can't trust you because I could barely trust you _before_ April moved back from Ohio. And she just became a widow a little over a month ago. She was with her husband for over ten years, so don't expect anything sexual to come out of this date. April has never been and never will be that type of person, the kind who puts out for anybody like you do."

"I promise I won't-"

"And if you truly are Mr. Perfectionist, you'll do as I say. Seven o'clock. I will tell her to wait for you in the locker room," Mark reminded him, cutting off his sentence one more time. He moved away from the nurses' station and strolled down the hallway with his hands inside of his lab coat pockets. "Bring her home by ten, Avery! I mean it."

Jackson softly groaned, rolling his eyes as he slowly slumped back down on his chair. His date was now set, though he hadn't planned any of it. He hoped Mark wouldn't surprise him by following him to the restaurant to watch him like a hawk. If the older surgeon wasn't his boss, he wouldn't hesitate to throw a punch at the guy. Nobody had controlled him as much as he had except for Mama Avery. There was only so much crap he could take from a person before he finally put his foot down.

But he couldn't do that with Mark for a variety of reasons. Impressing April meant impressing her older brother too.

* * *

April was working in the OR with Callie Torres, the Head of Orthopedic Surgery. She had known the Latina woman for over ten years as she and Mark were in the same residency class at Seattle Grace. They initially met at medical school in Columbia where they dated off and on. Mostly off, but they were more friends with benefits than anything else. Despite their dysfunctional relationship, they remained close friends. Callie was responsible for knocking some sense into her friend after Lexie returned from Yale to start her residency at the hospital. She acted as his conscience because he was a terrible decision maker at the time.

Callie was in the running for Chief of Surgery, but she lost out to Arizona three years ago. They started off as enemies, both of them trying to outdo the other with their presentations for Richard Webber, the former Chief of Surgery who was now retired. The orthopedic surgeon's fear of public speaking was her downfall and the blonde doctor's bright smiles and perkiness prevailed. She thought it was unfair because Arizona had only been working in Seattle for a year after spending most of her career at Johns Hopkins, while she had been around since her residency. And she thought Webber had discriminated against her because her department was much smaller than the others. Nobody gave Orthopedics the respect she thought it deserved.

However, she and Arizona bonded over the fact that they were former student-athletes in high school and college. Then, they soon realized how much in common they had, like they were practically twins separated at birth. They quickly became best friends and it didn't hurt that her colleague provided her a lab solely for ortho research. That sealed the deal.

April and Callie had a fairly close friendship, though for the first two years they had known each other she was always referred to as Mark's youngest stepsister or simply Kepner. But they bonded over Mark's former stupidity when April returned home from college and spent her summers in her hometown. She was a bridesmaid in both siblings' weddings. In a way, she was like their adopted sister.

"How have you adjusted to being home again?" Callie questioned while she focused on the hip replacement patient on the operating table. April had paged her for a consult after a 16-year old arrived in the ER following a freak skateboarding accident the day before. "Everything doing alright?"

"Yeah, I guess. Living with Mark and Lexie has been comforting and Maddy always has company with Kylie, so she's not lonely," the redhead answered. "Eventually, I'd like to find my own place. Once I feel completely settled in, I'll start looking for an apartment."

"Good. That's good. Remember, if you ever need anything, you can come to me," she advised and chuckled. "Especially when your brother's being an idiot."

On cue, the plastic surgeon entered the OR holding a surgical mask in front of his face. Both women gazed up at him as he stood a few feet away from them. "Dr. Kepner, you have a date with Dr. Avery starting at 7 PM. He'll pick you up in the locker room. He's taking you to The Kingfish Café and if he doesn't bring you home by ten o'clock, I'm kicking his ass. Got it?"

There was an awkward silence in the room with the exception of machines occasionally beeping in the background. Mark placed his free hand on his hip, while April stared at him with a raised eyebrow. His sudden protective side was more annoying than flattering.

"Did he set this up or did you?" she finally asked. "Because I know we're supposed to be having dinner tonight, but we never actually had anything set up."

"I planned it and he agreed – not that he had a choice. Either he takes you out on my terms or he doesn't at all."

"So you dictate my nightly outings now?"

"Only when it comes to Jackson Avery," Mark stated. He approached April, leaning close to her ear and he whispered, "You can cancel if you want. I'd be glad pass the message on to him, so he'll stop wasting his time on you."

"No! Don't cancel," the peds surgeon irritably replied. "Anyway, thank you for telling me. Is that all?"

He nodded as he backed away from his sister. "Yes. Don't drop your panties for him, alright?"

"Mark!" she yelped, shaking her head in embarrassment after he left the OR. If it wasn't for her surgical mask covering half of her face, the nurses, residents and Callie would have clearly seen her rosy cheeks. He had always lacked a filter, careless about who overheard his comments whether they were appropriate or not. She learned to brush them off, but he knew how to embarrass her easily. "He hasn't changed since we were kids."

"He's really going out of his way to ensure you have a miserable time with Avery," Callie noted, smiling behind her surgical mask. "I don't blame him. Jackson's a shadow of his former self, albeit more arrogant and obnoxious. Mark and everyone else in this hospital is aware of his reputation. Why did you agree to go out with him anyway?"

April sighed. "Because I knew Jackson from a long time ago. When we were thirteen we met at this summer camp I attended every year until I graduated high school," she explained and softly chuckled. "He was the opposite of what he looks like now. A sheepish nerd with gigantic glasses, but he was sweet and kind. We were uhh… he was my first boyfriend, if you can call it that. Summer camp flings probably don't have a significant meaning to most people."

"The fact that you're ignoring his undeniably douchey and manwhore behavior and you're willing to have dinner with him implies that summer camp flings _do_ have a significant meaning to some people," she replied, her eyes glancing up at April. "Sounds like you two had a special thing going on. Does Mark know about your history with Jackson?"

"I don't think so. Well, I never told him about Jackson at the time because I knew the overprotective side of him would've threatened to beat him up. He was already dealing with bullies at camp, so why give him Mark too?" She quickly shrugged. "Besides, he spent most of his time secretly pining for Lexie. In retrospect, that's actually disgusting because we were thirteen and he was eighteen. Pretty creepy too."

"Why am I not surprised?" Callie said, slowly shaking her head. "They were basically the epic love story everybody saw coming, but it took years and years for it to finally evolve. I find it romantic… in a quirky way."

"Quirky… that's what Matthew used to be," April glumly replied. Her late husband was the ideal match for her because their personalities were similar – dorky and awkward. She wasn't afraid to be herself around him and vice versa. "Thirteen years. Thirteen really _is_ an unlucky number."

Callie slightly frowned at the peds attending. Everybody in Mark and April's family adored Matthew Taylor, even their close family friends loved him. A nice guy on the inside and outside. The orthopedic surgeon couldn't understand why fate would tear apart a perfectly happy family. Crap like that turned her off from marriage and children.

"I'm not sure what I can say to make you feel better, but… things happen for a reason. Always remember that."

_Things happen for a reason, alright, _April thought to herself. So her husband was meant to die young? _What a load of crap._

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 16_

_"April, tell your stupid brother to stop flicking my ear every time he walks by me," Lexie demanded and pointed at her right ear. Her ear lobe was a faded shade of red. "See what he did? The last flick hurt because of the insect bite just above my earring! Why is he such a jerk?"_

_The redhead simply shrugged while she fixed her hair into pigtails. She, Lexie and George were seated underneath a tree beside the lake, killing time before lunch. April knew the truth to Mark's antics. Before leaving home for Wazi, she found a photograph of her best friend inside of his pillow case when she volunteered to do the laundry. He threatened to smother her with his jock strap if she spilled the beans about his secret crush, so she forced herself to remain tightlipped._

_"Anybody seen Jackson?" she asked. Since the humiliating scene at the dance, Jackson had been M.I.A. He was avoiding her and she hadn't seen him in the mess hall for their daily meals either._

_"Who cares?" George mumbled to himself, keeping his eyes down at his newest novel. To him, the less of the nerd from Boston, the better. He certainly didn't miss his presence._

_April barely heard his comment and pushed herself up from the grass. "I'm gonna go look for him. I'll see you guys at lunch."_

_She wasn't quite sure where to start searching, but she decided to check his cabin first. If Jackson had chosen to hide from the other campers, that was the first place to find him. She walked to The Grove, where the boys ages 12-15 resided. He stayed in cabin number two, but when she walked inside nobody was there. Just as she was ready to leave, she heard a sneeze coming from underneath one of the beds._

_"Uhh, Jackson? Are you in here?"_

_Sliding out from under the bed, Jackson slowly stood up and brushed the dust from his t-shirt. "Hi," he murmured, pushing up his glasses with his thumb. "I-I was reading."_

_"Why are you hiding, though?" April approached him when he remained silent. "Is it because of what happened at the dance? Really embarrassing things happen to all of us. It's not just you."_

_"Yeah, but they happen to me more often than others," he bitterly replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, umm… how come you're in here? Wait. Girls aren't supposed to be in the boys' cabins."_

_She grabbed his hand and led him out of the cabin. "I guess we should talk outside then."_

_He expected her to stop just outside of his cabin, but she continued walking and dragging him along behind her. "Where are we going?" April didn't respond. Instead, she tightly clutched his hand. He hoped she wouldn't be grossed out by the sudden sweat forming on his palm. A girl holding his hand was making him extremely nervous. "Umm, April?"_

_They ended up in the dining hall. It was empty with an hour to spare before lunch would be served. Jackson continued to feel clueless about what April was doing, especially when they entered the kitchen. Only campers helping clean up after lunch were allowed in there, so they were technically breaking the rules, something the cheerful redhead rarely did._

_April opened the large freezer and pulled out two Fudgesicles. She led him outside through a back door before sitting down on a nearby bench. "Sit, Jackson. We're on a date," she ordered._

_"We are?" his voice squeaked. Jackson sat down beside his girlfriend. "I'm still your boyfriend even after I ditched you at the dance? I was supposed to walk you back to your cabin."_

_"People were totally rude to you, so I don't blame you for running out." She smiled as she held out one of the Fudgesicles in front of his face. "And yes, you're still my boyfriend. Take it or you'll ruin our date."_

_Of course he wasn't going to turn down free ice cream. He took the dessert from her and unwrapped it. It was a hotter day than usual, so ice cream was necessary. "Thanks. You won't get in trouble for this?"_

_"As long as you don't rat me out," she answered with a smirk. "But you won't do that, right?"_

_He shyly shook his head while he ate his Fudgesicle. "I would never do that to you." Feeling it was time to be bold again, he scooted closer to April until their knees knocked together. "D-do you want to sit next to each other during the campfire tonight? That could be our next date or… or is it too soon to be on another date because we're on one right now?"_

_She giggled. "I don't think it matters, so it's a date."_

_"Cool," he said, though he grimaced after his voice partially changed pitches. "So… what's it like in Seattle? I've never been there."_

_"Cloudy. The Sonics are pretty good. I don't really know much about them, though. I'm not the biggest sports fanatic. I'm sure you know that stuff. Grunge music is big there. Do you listen to Nirvana? My older brother's obsessed with them." She watched him shake his head, then she pointed at herself. "It's okay. I prefer the likes of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Oh! And New Kids on the Block. I do like a little bit of everything, though."_

_"What TV shows do you like? My personal favorites are The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Saved By the Bell."_

_"Oh, me too! Me too!" April chirped, grinning widely at Jackson. "Can you do the Carlton Dance?"_

_He nervously laughed. "Not in public."_

_"C'mon, please? Nobody else is around right now," she pleaded and playfully yanked his arm. "Please, Jackson?"_

_"No way," the nerdy boy declined. The only time he ever performed the infamous Carlton Dance was when he was alone in his house and in his locked bedroom. "Sorry, April. There are some things I will never share with you."_

_"Ugh, alright," she softly groaned._

_April rested her head against Jackson's shoulder. He appeared to be caught off-guard initially, tensing up beside her. Silently taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down and shakily raised his free arm, resting it around her shoulder. She smiled while eating her Fudgesicle. It was about time Jackson made some sort of move on her._

_Their first slow dance was a fail, but their first "date" was a success._

* * *

Sitting across from Jackson at The Kingfish Café, April stared at him in amusement as he switched back and forth between eating his New York steak and checking his watch. They hadn't done much talking since he picked her up from the attendings locker room at the hospital. He seemed more occupied with finishing their dinner date and bringing her home to Mark and Lexie's on time.

It also bothered him that he was forced to take her out to a restaurant that wasn't the typical fancy, formal dress type that he normally brought dates to. The plastic surgeon had arrived at work in a suit like he always did, while she wore a simple green blouse and blue jeans. When he changed out of his scrubs he ditched the tie and jacket to help him feel slightly casual.

"Slow down. It's not even 8:30 yet," she informed him. Reaching across the table, she grabbed Jackson's hand to stop him from speed eating. "Jackson, stop. Why are you so worried about taking me home by ten? You're acting like Mark's my father when he's not. Don't let him get to you."

"He's my _boss_. Not to mention, I had no idea he was your stepbrother too," he uncomfortably said before drinking some water. Jackson noticed April was poking at her dinner. "Uhh, is the catfish awful?"

"No, it's not that. You eating like a pig is kind of making me lose my appetite," she sheepishly admitted. "Why don't we do what you wanted to do in the first place? You know, _talk_?"

Jackson nodded as he set his knife and fork down on his plate. "Okay. You look very pretty today- well, you look pretty every day," he complimented, trying to work his charm with his smile.

"Umm, thank you." She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip while her eyes wandered away from his. That smile of his was difficult to ignore. He was just too damn good looking. "So… how long have you been working at Seattle Grace?"

"About a year. It's a nice hospital. Maybe not better than Mass Gen, but I refuse to work with anybody from my family," he replied and rolled his eyes. "None of them understand my passion for plastics. My grandfather still believes he can sway me away from that and convert to cardio. Not happening."

"Why _did_ you pick plastics, Jackson?" April asked curiously. "What drew you to that specialty?"

Easy. The money. "I uhh… well, it's a lot harder than one might think. Reconstructive surgery requires perfection, in my opinion. I'm sure you wouldn't want a crooked nose job or a scar on your face that leaves you looking like Frankenstein's monster," he explained. She slightly shook her head in response to agree with him. "Isn't that why Sloan got into plastic surgery?"

"Actually, he was in it for the money," she answered, smirking at Jackson after he shifted in his seat. "But that was the old Mark. The present Mark cares a lot about his job. It's not about the money anymore."

"Okay, why did you choose peds?"

"I love kids. In high school, I worked as a part-time babysitter. And I always knew I would become a mom one day," April cheerfully replied, taking her cell phone out of her purse. After opening her photo gallery, she held her cell phone in front of Jackson to show him a picture of Madison. "I already told you about Maddy, but here she is. My parents think she's like an exact clone of myself when I was a child."

Jackson stared at the little girl in the picture. He quickly took note of the bright smile on her face and the matching red hair. He also noticed the alien necklace around her neck. Madison was as cute as a button, but dammit, he didn't want to meet her anytime soon. "She's… adorable," he forced himself to say along with a half-assed smile.

"I don't mean to sound conceited, but she is, huh?" she chuckled, putting her cell phone away. "I was hoping to have more kids. Matthew and I were trying before he received his cancer diagnosis."

"So, umm… how did you two meet?" He wasn't quite sure why he asked. Truthfully, Jackson couldn't care less about her late husband, but if he wanted to win any points from her, he needed to show interest in her personal life.

April was the storytelling type, covering every detail she felt was necessary. She and Matthew met during their freshman year at Duke. They were in the same English class, but she was too shy to talk to him for the first couple of months. He was a member of the golf team, so she considered him a part of the jock group. Athletes rarely noticed her in high school, despite her outgoing demeanor. She finally had to interact with him when they were assigned to peer review each other's papers, but he wasn't like those other jocks. He was friendly and awkward just like her. Unfortunately, he had a girlfriend back home in Iowa, but they became good friends.

A year later, Matthew returned to Duke after having broken up with his ex-girlfriend over the summer and the rest was history. They had been dating since then. He moved up to Rhode Island with her when she chose to attend Brown for medical school. Around that time, he had decided to become a firefighter. A very selfless man, he always put her ahead of himself, so he followed her to Ohio where they resided until his death.

During her second year of residency, he proposed to her on Christmas in front of her family when they visited Ohio. They were married the following summer in Seattle. It was like a fairy tale, she described. Found her Prince Charming and got her happily ever after. But in real life, nobody was invincible. Her fairy tale turned into a nightmare, but all she could do now was carry on and be the best mother she could be to their daughter.

Jackson didn't have much of a story to tell – at least a story she would be interested in. He doubted she wanted to hear about all of the women he had slept with and dated. She had already been disgusted with him once, maybe twice, so he kept that part of his life to himself.

He told her the basics. Played college football at Harvard, ranked first in his class in medical school. Afraid of bragging too much about himself, he brought up summer camp instead. They poked fun at themselves and laughed at stories about their summer together. He loved the fact that she was enjoying his company.

After dinner, he drove her home to Mark and Lexie's like he was told to do. He arrived in front of the house early, five minutes before the curfew his boss placed on him. Jackson walked April to the front door knowing she would appreciate the gesture. For a brief moment, they stood face to face without saying a word to each other.

She slipped her hands inside of her coat pockets. "Umm, thank you for dinner, Jackson. It was fun catching up," she politely said, smiling at the pretty man.

"No problem. We should do this again sometime," he suggested, grinning back at her. The plastic surgeon softly chuckled to himself as he thought back to a memory from summer camp. "I uhh… I will probably feel like a real idiot after I do this, but I suppose it's not a big deal anymore."

"Do what?" April burst into laughter as Jackson showed her his imitation of the Carlton Dance. She clenched her stomach after cracking up at his silliness. "I see you're no longer shy about performing that dance in public."

He shrugged, sheepishly stuffing his hands inside of his pockets. "Well, nobody was around and… people change their minds."

"So that nerdy side of you _does_ still exist," she teasingly said. "I find that side of you more enjoyable than that other guy I met in the elevator. Douchey doesn't fit you, Jackson."

Before he could respond, the front door swung open and Mark appeared to interrupt their conversation. "It's 10 PM. Date's over!" he obnoxiously announced, smirking at Jackson as he pulled April into the house. "Night, Avery."

The younger surgeon held up his finger, opening his mouth to speak as his boss closed the door in his face. He shook his head in disgust and walked back to his car. "Scum bag."

"Mark! What is the matter with you?" April retorted, folding her arms as she scowled at her brother. "He was actually being nice to me. Not only were you being rude but you completely embarrassed me in front of Jackson!"

"I'm doing what's best for you and that's protecting you from men like him," Mark insisted. "He's no good for you, April. Guys like him only want sex. His so-called nice act is just his way to get into your pants. Don't put yourself in that position. Trust me because I used to be that guy. I don't want to see anybody taking advantage of you after your freaking husband just died."

"He's not taking advantage of me. We had dinner and talked. Jackson never laid a hand on me, okay? And I'm a grown woman. I'm grateful that you're looking out for me, but I can take care of myself, so quit acting like you're Dad or whatever." April removed her coat and sighed. "Can we argue about this in the morning? I'm tired from work and I just want to go to bed."

"Fine, fine." Mark pulled April in for a hug and firmly patted her lower back. "I'm sorry for overreacting. He's a damn fine surgeon, but I don't like him, alright? I know I'm not the only one. Just promise me you won't put out for him."

"This is a very uncomfortable conversation now, Mark," she mumbled against his chest. Taking a step back, the redhead softly smiled at him. "I'm going to check on Maddy before I hit the hay. Goodnight."

He followed her up the stairs. "You didn't promise me yet."

"Okay, okay. I promise, loser," April groaned, rolling her eyes.

Sleeping with Jackson was out of the question. She wasn't the type of woman who put out easily. Then again, Matthew was her first and only. But she wouldn't mind going out with her one-time summer fling again. She just wasn't going to tell Mark that.

* * *

**Jackson + Carlton Dance... you know you were trying to visualize it :P ****Let me know what you think please!**


	6. What Are You Doing Friday Night?

**I wasn't really sure if I wanted to continue with this, but I found some inspiration to write for it again.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Since her dinner "date" with Jackson, April couldn't stop thinking about the gorgeous plastic surgeon. She had fully expected him to gloat about his accomplishments and rarely give her the time to speak about herself, but instead he initially acted like a worried teenager who didn't want to miss curfew. It was adorable to see him rattled because he always appeared calm, collected and overly confident about himself at work. It was clear to her that he wanted to impress her without flaunting his arrogance.

The Carlton Dance won him points for sure, but a goofy dance wouldn't completely win her over. Sometimes Jackson was hard to read during dinner. She had difficulty figuring out if he was genuinely interested in what she had to say. She blamed his perfect white teeth and charming smile for distracting her. The man was one of the most attractive men she had ever seen. She found it hard to believe he was once the lanky nerd who stole her heart at Camp Waziyatah.

But constantly having Jackson in her thoughts made her feel guilty. Up until a month ago, April was married to a wonderful guy. At times, she felt as if she were cheating on Matthew emotionally because she was already thinking about another man. She didn't quite feel ready to date anybody seriously. A part of her wasn't willing to move on from her late husband just yet.

She ordered herself a cup of coffee at the stand in the main lobby. Just as she was about to pay, an olive-skinned hand intervened and slapped a few dollars on the counter. Standing beside her was Jackson, who greeted her with his irresistible smile. "You don't have to do that," she immediately said.

"No worries. This one's on me," he insisted before facing the vendor across from them. "Cappuccino, please."

"Really, Jackson. It's not necessary," she shyly argued, brushing back strands of her red hair behind her ear. April had decided to wear her hair down that morning. She normally pulled it up in a ponytail, so it wouldn't get in the way while she treated patients, but she changed her mind at the last minute. Of course, she refused to admit exactly why she chose to keep it down. "I can pay for my own coffee, thank you."

"Just this once, alright?" Jackson leaned sideways against the counter, smirking at the peds surgeon. "And you don't have to pay me back. You already do enough by being so beautiful."

April scoffed, "Oh, _c'mon_. Do you always sweet talk your way through everything?" She folded her arms as she grinned back at him. "And how many times have you used that line on other women?"

He pointed at himself. "I'm not trying to play smooth operator right now. I'm being honest. Last Friday was nice. I liked having dinner with you – except for the part when Mark interrupted us."

"About that, I am so sorry. I wasn't expecting him to act that way," she apologetically replied and gently bit down on her lower lip. "But for the record, I liked having dinner with you too. However-"

"Hold up. Usually when a woman starts off with however, it's bad news," he fearfully said. "How about you just agree to have dinner with me again first? You know, without your brother planning everything for us? I promise it'll be much better than last Friday."

"Well, I just wanted to say that I'm not looking to date anybody. I mean, date-_date_. Dinner with friends is okay, but I'm not ready for actual dating right now," April nervously admitted. Jackson pursed his lips in response, which made her slightly grimace. "I-I I still don't mind having dinner with you, though."

Jackson couldn't help but feel disappointed that he was being friend zoned. Women typically threw themselves at him, but April was the opposite. She was purposefully restraining herself from doing anything past friendly dinners with him.

And it was killing him.

George arrived, cutting in front of Jackson, who appeared peeved to see him. "Hey, April. What are you doing this Friday night?" he inquired, ignoring the annoyed plastic surgeon behind him.

"Umm… I don't know yet. Why?" she answered.

"There's an outdoor movie showing at Green Lake Park at seven. Do you want to go with me?" he asked, sounding hopeful. He sheepishly grinned at his best friend. "It's _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_, your favorite. Remember we used to watch it every weekend in eighth grade?"

April nodded and smiled. "I do. I can't believe we never got sick of that movie," she chuckled. "Alright. That sounds fun. Thanks, Georgie." She retrieved her coffee order, then she glanced back at Jackson as she walked away. "Thanks for the coffee, Jackson."

George proudly smiled to himself. He landed his first date with April, though he wasn't sure if _she_ considered it a date. Looking back at Jackson, the taller man scowled at him like he was ready to kick his ass in front of everyone around them. "And _that's_ how you earn points from her, Avery. Your sweet talk has nothing on my history with April."

The pretty eyed man wanted nothing more than to punch the smug grin off of the trauma surgeon's face. George O'Malley hated him since the day he found out they had been crushing on the same girl at summer camp. However, Jackson came out triumphant as April's first boyfriend. That was a memory George would never have.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 18_

_Peering up at the giant rock climbing wall towering over him, Jackson gulped as one of the staff members strapped him into his safety harnesses. He feared the rocking climbing wall the most because it required upper body strength, which he lacked. His arms were like spaghetti, ridiculously gangly without much muscle. The nerd considered himself lucky if he could reach the halfway point of the wall._

_And he felt even more pressure not to humiliate himself because April had chosen the activity for them. Lexie and George tagged along and he hardly wanted to look like a fool in front of them too. The latter had already done it at the dance with the punch incident. Jackson desperately wanted to show him up for that._

_"Okay, who would like to climb alongside Jackson?" the counselor asked._

_"George does!" Lexie excitedly volunteered her friend, who quickly glared back at her. He didn't have an athletic bone in his body, so she knew she was in for some instant entertainment._

_"Yeah, George. Do it," April encouraged him. "I bet Jackson wouldn't mind having a buddy climbing with him."_

_The other nerd set his book on the ground before he walked towards the rock climbing wall. He always found a way to talk himself out of the sporting activities. Allergies was his usual excuse. He actually did have allergies, but this time, he wanted to show April he wasn't always the wuss he appeared to be._

_After both boys were set up in front of the wall, the counselor held up a stop watch. "I'm going to time you both. Now, this isn't a race, but consider this your starting mark, so you can aim to improve your time before the end of the summer. And go!"_

_Jackson and George began climbing up the wall, albeit at a snail pace. They each struggled reaching the quarter mark. Their arms just weren't built to last long, but neither of them wanted to give up first._

_"Wow. They both suck," Lexie bluntly said, softly giggling at George as his legs flailed back and forth while he hung onto a molded rock with two hands. "Poor Georgie."_

_"Jackson's not doing that bad," April pointed out her boyfriend, who had climbed slightly higher than their best friend. She laughed at how his tongue stuck out as he reached for the next rock. "He is so cute. I wish he knew how cute he actually is."_

_"Have you two kissed yet?" the brunette asked eagerly. She didn't receive a reply from her friend, who pretended not to hear her question. "I'm taking that as a no. Why not? Is it because you haven't kissed a boy yet?"_

_April sighed. It was easier for Lexie to talk about the topic because she had kissed a boy once. Not on purpose, Quincy Mitchell in fifth grade pounced on her when she least expected it. She sent a right hook to his face in response. The redhead wanted her first kiss to be special and romantic. It needed to be memorable._

_"I think he's afraid to kiss me," she murmured. "I don't think he's kissed anybody either."_

_"So, just kiss him already! One of you has to make the first move."_

_"But what if it's totally awful? Like, my mouth hits his nose instead?" she worriedly asked. "Or… or he wants to kiss me with tongue?! Eww! All of that slobber. I don't get how Mark finds that sexy."_

_Lexie rolled her eyes and laughed. "You watch Mark makeout with his girlfriends? Pervert."_

_"No! It's not like that," April groaned, folding her arms. "I was just curious one time and umm… spied a little. You better not tell anybody, Lex!"_

_"I won't, I won't. Chill out," she promised. Gazing back at the rock climbing wall, Lexie shook her head at the sight of George swaying back and forth and yelling for help, occasionally ramming into the wall after losing his grip. Jackson, on the other hand, was halfway up the wall. "At least one of them is still alive."_

_April grinned at her boyfriend and clapped her hands. "You're doing a good job, Jackson!" she called out to him._

_His back was facing her, but Jackson smiled to himself. She was impressed by his pathetic athleticism, which was enough to make him happy. He wasn't embarrassing himself like he had expected. It probably took him five minutes to reach the halfway mark, but at least he hadn't screwed up in front of the other campers like George had. His arch rival barely made it to the quarter mark of the wall._

_Although his puny arms were burning from the lactic acid building up in his poor excuse for muscles, Jackson wanted to reach the top. It didn't matter if he took ten or twenty minutes to finish the upper half of the wall. Only a broken arm or a shoulder dislocation could stop him now. But his hopes of impressing April and everyone else even more were dashed when the counselor told him to discontinue._

_"It's time to let go, Jackson. Don't hurt yourself, buddy," he advised._

_"Dammit," the Boston native muttered before he released his grip. He frowned as he was slowly brought down from the wall. Next time, he was determined to reach the top._

_At least he beat George._

* * *

"O'Malley completely cockblocked me downstairs!" Jackson angrily said, pacing back and forth in front of Alex, who was seated on the couch in the attendings lounge. His wingman stretched out his legs on top of the coffee table as the plastic surgeon ranted to him. "I was actually getting somewhere with April. Of course, that was before she told me she wasn't ready to date, but still – that little shit ruined everything even more."

"You want to date Kepner?" Alex replied skeptically. He rested his hands behind the back of his head and chuckled. "Dude, you don't date chicks for more than two weeks. Maybe a month if she's freaking incredible in bed. Have you been holding out hope that she'll screw you?"

He stopped walking, facing Alex with his hands on his hips. "She's different, but Jesus Christ, she's playing hard to get with me. It's driving me insane," he complained. "I can tell she's into me. She just doesn't want to admit it."

"Whatever," the peds surgeon scoffed, adding an eye roll. "You're pretty damn pathetic if you're letting a twerp like O'Malley get in the way. You've never let him 1-up you before, so why are you starting now? Is it because he's got this geeky friendship thing going on with April?"

Jackson opened his mouth to speak, then he quickly changed his mind. Alex would certainly give him crap about his nerdy past if he told him about it. His friend was the type of guy who beat up on nerds in junior high and high school. He probably wouldn't believe him anyway.

Their conversation was interrupted by Izzie Stevens after she entered the attendings lounge. She was an OB/GYN, sporting the unpopular pink scrubs – at least by surgeons' standards, but she did specialize in neo-natal surgery, so she also wore navy blue scrubs occasionally. A Tacoma native, she instantly had an unpleasant history with Jackson and Alex. Neither men realized they were both sleeping with the blonde doctor until the plastic surgeon walked in on her and his best friend in an on-call room. After he threatened to have his sloppy friend fired, she opted to stop seeing both of them to save herself from a bad reputation.

Izzie and Jackson had an unusual friendship. Not exactly close, but she was his confidant when he became desperate for anything. She refused to put out for him, though the kind hearted person inside listened to his constant rants about his life problems, which usually involved sex and women in general. They had a mutual attraction to each other and eventually started having sex. At the time, she couldn't resist Alex's bad boy side either, so she eventually played them both until she got caught.

Her coworkers liked her because she was friendly and cared about all of her patients. Her personality was the polar opposite of Jackson and Alex's, so nobody understood why she involved herself with them given their reputation around the hospital. She promised herself not to repeat that mistake.

Seeing Izzie gave the womanizing surgeon an idea. Jackson approached her with a smirk on his face. "Hey, Iz," he greeted her casually.

"Still not sleeping with you," she replied in a singing tone as she made herself some tea. The OB avoided eye contact with him, afraid she would fall into his pretty eyed trap. Every time they spoke to each other, she hardly made direct eye contact with him. He was so handsome, but she refused to fall for him again.

"I need a favor," he requested. "What are you doing Friday night?"

"More like _who_ are you doing?" Alex teased from the couch.

Izzie turned around, scowling at the obnoxious peds surgeon. "Oh, you're so clever, aren't you? I'm still wondering whose brain you stole to become a doctor in the first place because you have the maturity level of a 12-year old," she sneered. "And I'm not a whore like you two. Sleeping with two different guys only happened _one_ time."

Jackson held his hands up in front of his chest. "Hey, now. No need to get feisty with us. As a matter of fact, I haven't slept with anybody in about a week," he admitted.

"Oh, wow. That must be a world record for you, Avery," she quipped.

"He's saving himself for Kepner," Alex noted and snickered. "Dude's got this lame hard on for her. I bet she's got a secured chastity belt underneath those scrubs, so he's killing his game by going after a woman who won't open her legs for him."

Izzie glanced back at Jackson suspiciously. "April Kepner? She's a sweet person. Why are you trying to corrupt her?"

"I am _not_ trying to corrupt her," the plastics attending insisted. "Anyway, can we go back to the original topic of discussion? As I was saying, I need a favor from you. You're an outdoor movie type, right?"

"Uhh, I guess-"

"So be my fake date on Friday. They're showing a movie at Green Lake Park and April's going to be there," Jackson explained before he mumbled, "And with freaking O'Malley."

"Avery feels threatened by little George O'Malley," Alex added, smugly grinning at the twosome. "Hilarious, right?"

Jackson groaned as he looked at his wingman. "Can you please shut up for just one minute? Thank you." He placed his hands on his hips and returned his attention back to Izzie. "Will you do it?"

Izzie sipped her tea before she responded, "What's in it for me?"

"Umm… my full respect towards you from now on?" he sheepishly answered. "Look, I just want to make April a little jealous, that's all. She's forcing herself to resist me and I want her to see what she's missing out on."

"Well, it's possible she's resisting you because you're so full of yourself," Izzie bluntly said. "You gotta stop acting so pompous like you're better than everyone else. And wait a minute. Didn't her husband just die a month ago? It sounds to me you're courting her while she's at her most vulnerable."

"What? That's not true," Jackson retorted. "And who the hell uses the term _courting_ these days?"

She shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, right. For you it's referred to as seducing and fu-"

"So are you helping me or not?" he asked impatiently. "I promise I won't make any moves on you, alright? We'll just be there to distract April a bit – and to get back at O'Malley for making me look pathetic in front of her."

"Fine, fine. Whatever. I'll do it," Izzie unenthusiastically agreed. She pointed her finger at him. "And after this, from now on you are going to be nice to me and you will never say a disrespectful thing to or about me ever again. Understood?"

Jackson nodded. "Pick you up at 6:15?"

"Deal," the blonde attending answered as she walked towards the exit, but not without one last scowl at the peds surgeon. "And bite me, Alex."

Alex chuckled after Izzie left the lounge. "She totally wants me back," he confidently said. "Playing hard to get."

"Yes, that's why she ignores you 75% of the time," Jackson sarcastically replied.

"Dude, she's totally right about you. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I know when your cockiness goes overboard. As your best friend here, listen to me when I tell you that you'll go nowhere with Kepner if you think she'll fall for you because of your looks and money," he informed him. "And she's sort of on the dorky side. No wonder she and George are such good friends."

Dating advice from Alex Karev? He surprisingly made sense for once. If only he knew how much of a dork Jackson used to be.

* * *

The Seattle skies were fairly clear on Friday night, though that didn't stop guests attending the outdoor viewing of _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_ at Green Lake Park from bringing umbrellas just to be on the safe side. There was a decent crowd, perhaps a little under 300 people that mostly consisted of adults and teenagers filling up the baseball and soccer fields by the lake. A giant white screen where the movie would be projected stood in front of the lake.

George carried two small lawn chairs, while April held a couple of blankets as they found an empty spot in the middle of the wide, grassy area. He wanted their date – _maybe_ a date – to go well. And it had been three months since the trauma surgeon last went out on a date with a woman. Had he known how to speak to women better without sweating profusely and stuttering, he probably would score more dates. However, his social anxiety always defeated him.

"Is this spot okay? Or do you want to move closer?" he inquired.

"This is fine, Georgie." April waited for her best friend to set up the lawn chairs, then she sat down and covered her lap with a blanket. "I hope it doesn't rain. Forecast said it won't until later tonight, but having lived here for most of my life I stopped believing in what the weatherman says."

"Even if it does, we brought umbrellas. I will even give you my jacket if a torrential downpour suddenly occurs," he offered with a smile. George pulled out a candy box out of his jacket pocket. "I bought some Goobers before I picked you up. It was a tradition to eat these whenever we watched this movie, remember?"

"I do. I love how you remember every single detail. It's adorable," she complimented.

George scrunched his nose when April looked away. He didn't want to be _adorable_. He wanted to be desirable and so far, the redhead only saw him as her best friend who remembered everything about their childhood. "Uhh, how's Maddy?" he changed the subject. "You think she'd have fun visiting the Tropical Butterfly House at the Pacific Science Center?"

"I think she would. Oh! Lexie and I should totally plan a little day trip for her and Kylie," April suggested. "And then maybe also go to the Seattle Children's Museum. You and Mark can come too."

"Sure. That would be great," he happily agreed. His delight took a sudden dip when he noticed Jackson and Izzie approaching them. "What the hell is _he_ doing here?"

April glanced up at the two doctors and cleared her throat. "Hi, Jackson… and Dr. Stevens," she reluctantly greeted them with a half-smile. "I didn't know you would be here too."

Seeing Jackson would have been better if Izzie wasn't with him. After learning about their brief history together, she was slightly jealous of the OB. She was gorgeous with her blonde hair and long legs. If they were to procreate, their children would already have modeling contracts before they were born. Definitely the type of woman she pictured him dating. No wonder the plastic surgeon once had a thing for her. Maybe he reignited that fling after she told him she wasn't ready to date, April thought.

And for once, Jackson wasn't dressed in a suit. All she had ever seen him wearing were suits and dress shirts. Instead, he was wearing a light gray t-shirt underneath a maroon hooded jacket and dark blue jeans, along with black and gold Nike basketball shoes. Very casual.

"Heard the weather was cooperating and why not enjoy the outdoors while we can?" Jackson answered, grinning widely at April. He pointed at the space a couple of feet away from them. "Mind if we sit here?"

"No, it's okay with me," she softly replied. "Are you two on a date?"

Izzie appeared to be shaking her head, but Jackson intervened. "Yeah, we are," he said, throwing his arm around his friend's shoulder. "This movie thing sounded like a good idea. Thanks for that, O'Malley."

George pursed his lips after Jackson winked at him. He knew exactly what the pretty man was doing, but he preferred not to make a scene out of it. He quickly waved at Izzie and bashfully smiled. "Hi, Izzie."

"Hey, George. You two on a date too?" she playfully asked.

"Yes."

"No."

George and April looked at each other after simultaneously giving different answers. He hoped they would be on the same page, but unfortunately, it wasn't a date to her. "We're… we're just friends," he murmured, visibly upset.

Izzie set a wool blanket on the grass before she sat down. Jackson sat close her, putting his arm around her shoulders again as he pulled her against his side. He hoped their closeness would spark a reaction from April, who he could barely see out of the corner of his eye.

"You are trying way too hard now," Izzie muttered and fought back a laugh. It was the first time she watched Jackson actually work hard to get a woman to notice him. "But I think you caught her attention."

April's eyes continuously drifted towards them, despite trying not to make a big deal out of the situation. People cuddled in front of her all the time, but seeing Jackson and Izzie only brought back memories of Matthew. She loved snuggling against him with his long arms wrapped around her. Now, she was missing her husband all over again. Being the sensitive type, it never took long for her to become emotional. And while she seemed to be coping just fine to her peers, she was very much still fragile deep inside.

She could feel the tears burning her eyes, so she stood up from her seat. "I-I I'm gonna buy some water at that stand over there," she hesitantly said and pointed at a concessions stand near the entrance.

George instantly grew concerned. "Is everything okay?" he asked, noticing the frown on her face.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I'll… be right back," she tearfully responded and quickly bolted for the concessions stand.

Jackson turned his head, watching April briefly leave. He casually excused himself, then he followed her feeling confident in his plan. She bought herself a water bottle and stepped aside with her back facing him. He lightly tapped her shoulder and smiled. "Still not ready to date yet?" he arrogantly questioned. His face dropped when she slowly spun around with a tear rolling down her cheek. "Uhh… I didn't mean to upset you. April, I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault," the peds surgeon insisted, quickly drying her eyes with her jacket sleeve. "I was thinking about Matthew and I don't know. It happens sometimes. I'll randomly think about him and start crying. You didn't do anything."

"Actually, I uhh… I was trying to make you jealous," he confessed, scratching the back of his head and forcing himself to laugh. She, on the other hand, wasn't in the laughing mood. "Izzie's just a friend helping me out."

"She's pretty," April softly said before she bit down on her lower lip. "I-I can see why you two were together in the past."

"But that was the past. We're just friends… or more like she's an acquaintance who tolerates me a lot," he quipped, trying to ease away the tension. However, she sighed as her eyes gazed down at her shoes. Another light bulb turned on in his head. "Wait here. I will be right back."

April was left confused when Jackson walked away from her. He returned a few minutes later with his hands behind his back and a proud smile on his face. "What are you so happy about?"

He moved his hands from his back and revealed two wrapped Fudgesicles. "Maybe I can cheer you up with this. We had this on our first date at camp," he recalled. "And you have to take it because nobody should ever let these babies go to waste."

She finally smiled as she took one of the Fudgesicles from him. "That's true. Thank you." Opening the wrapper, she smirked at Jackson. "So, you were trying to make me jealous?"

"Did it work?" he chuckled.

"Well, you definitely brought back terrible memories of high school when I loathed all of the popular girls who had boyfriends," she uncomfortably admitted. "And Izzie, sh-she's a beautiful woman-"

"So are you," Jackson interrupted. He stepped closer to April and placed his hands behind his back again, trying his hardest not to touch her at all. Staring at her lips, he desperately wanted to kiss them. "Even when we were thirteen I thought you were beautiful. That single dimple continues to drive me nuts."

They were merely inches apart and she felt the unbearable tension as well. "I… I should go back to my seat. I don't want George to think I abandoned him. He _is_ one of my best friends. I can't just leave him hanging." She walked around him, to his disappointment. "Thanks again for the Fudgesicle, Jackson. I appreciate it."

"What else do I need to freaking do?" he mumbled to himself after she walked away, feeling even more dejected than ever.

A part of him knew he was being selfish because April obviously wasn't ready to let go of Matthew yet, but she was interested in him. There was no doubt about that. Jackson decided he would have to work even harder now. He wasn't willing to throw in the towel anytime soon.

* * *

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	7. Are You Serious?

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jackson's mission to win April's heart hadn't gone as smoothly as he had hoped. The overconfident side of him was certain she would let him in after telling her who he was, but the push and pull between them was frustrating. Nothing more than flirting ever happened. Their interactions always resulted in a stalemate. The friend zone was still in place for him. However, he was glad they were slowly becoming friends. She had been living in Seattle for a month now, so it was better than no progress at all.

Her friends were slightly baffled by their new friendship. Lexie hoped her best friend wasn't falling for his typical fake charm, while George completely loathed the plastic surgeon for obvious reasons. They agreed to pay close attention to the duo because neither of them were willing to trust Jackson yet. Even though he was a piece of their past, they knew him better as the sleazy coworker who used his appearance and bank account to get what he wanted out of every woman he set his eyes on.

"I don't get it. I really don't get the appeal with that guy," George bitterly said as he watched Jackson and April mingle and laugh by the coffee stand in the main lobby. He actually did except he didn't want to admit it.

During their non-date at Green Lake Park, he noticed the many glances back and forth between the two doctors, but he kept his mouth shut about it. He knew he couldn't compete with those bluish-green eyes and his athletic figure, yet he believed April deserved somebody who was genuine and warmhearted, which weren't Jackson's strongest characteristics.

"It's the Avery charm, makes women weak. If he wasn't such a dick, I wouldn't mind," Lexie nonchalantly replied while she sat behind the nurses' station and used the computer. "And the fact that he was her first ever boyfriend helps too."

"But we were thirteen. It's not like she was in love with him," he scoffed. "And he was such a dork."

"So were you and you still are," the urologist countered with a smirk. George immediately scowled at his best friend and she chuckled. "What? It's true, but that's why I still like ya. You never changed who you are and that's great. It's not easy staying the same person all these years."

"Yeah, but it hasn't done much for me if you haven't noticed." He waved his arm towards Jackson and April. "She moves back home a month ago and falls for the one guy everybody else here despises just because of a summer fling. She'll eventually get hurt, Lex. You and I know it'll happen."

"And as her best friends, we will be there for her when it does happen. I don't like the idea of those two together as much as you, but we gotta let her figure this stuff out on her own," Lexie insisted. "One positive thing out of all of this – I don't think Jackson's been whoring around in the past week or two, which means one less intern or resident I have to overhear weeping because he didn't call them back."

George sighed as he watched the twosome interact. "Is it wrong that I'd rather he continue his manwhore ways over flirting with April? He's the anti-Matthew. She's too good for him." He shook his head and decided to walk away. "Whatever. If I stare at them any longer, I'm going to be sick."

He left to return to his safe house in the ER, leaving Lexie alone to watch April fall for Jackson's sweet talk.

"What are you doing tonight?" the pretty man inquired.

"Tea party at the Sloan residence," she answered and chuckled. "Mark and Lexie made plans to go out and I volunteered to watch the girls, so my night will consist of wearing a plastic tiara on my head and drinking imaginary tea."

"Oh," Jackson murmured, trying to hide his disappointment. "That's too bad."

April's smile faded away. "That's too bad?" she repeated, slightly agitated. "I'm spending quality time with my daughter and my niece. I most certainly wouldn't see that as a negative situation."

He grimaced knowing he had offended her. "Well, what I meant was… that's too bad because... you're stuck at home, while your brother and sister-in-law get to go out on a date…" The blank stare on April's face concluded that he was digging himself into a deep hole. "I'm not making this sound any better, am I?"

She shook her head and picked up her coffee from the counter. "Nope. I'll see you around."

His cappuccino was ready just as she walked away from him. They were having a friendly conversation that mainly consisted of flirting, but he knew he blew it with his last comment. She skipped the slow running elevators and headed for the stairwell, so he chased after her.

"April, wait!" he called out, running up the stairs and blocking her path. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me, I know. Look, we've been getting along for a while now and I don't want to mess that up. Plus, there's something I've been aching to know and I want you to tell me the truth because I'm beginning to lose my patience."

"Which is what exactly?"

"There's mutual attraction between us, right? Just like when we were thirteen? I'm not a guy who puts his feelings out there for any woman," Jackson admitted. "I prefer not to attach myself to anybody, but I can't do that with you, so I want to know if I'm delusional or not."

April casually sipped her coffee before she responded, "Well, if you and I hadn't known each other in the past, I wouldn't have bothered giving you any of my attention because your attitude towards other people sucks." She gently bit down on her lower lip. "You're an attractive man, Jackson. I'm sure you're aware of that since people think you're so conceited. There are moments when I'm thinking about you nonstop because I get to see this side of you nobody else sees, but I have no idea if you're being yourself when you're around me or if you're putting on an act."

"So, you flirt with me even though it sounds like you don't trust me?"

"I _want_ to trust you, Jackson, but I don't know if I can. You need to prove your worth to me." The redhead sighed when he appeared to be hurt by her words. "When we were teenagers it was easy. We were both naïve and new to anything that had to do with dating. Now, it's different. I was married for six years and you apparently sleep around a lot. Not exactly the kind of guy I should go for, but sometimes I can't help myself when I'm around you."

"You're right, though. Before you arrived, I slept with a new woman almost every other night and I didn't think twice about getting to know them on a personal level," he guiltily replied. He used his free hand to push back strands of her hair behind her ear. "But you being here is forcing me to re-evaluate my lifestyle. I'm trying here, April. Just give me a chance to be better for you."

She tried to resist his hand resting against the back of her neck and his thumb gently stroking her cheek, but his touch sent shivers down her spine. His palm was so smooth against her skin and his eyes staring intensely into hers made it even harder to turn him down. "I, uhh… Jackson-"

"We can be good together," he confidently stated as his face inched closer to hers.

His lips were just centimeters away before April's pager interrupted them. She immediately pulled away from him, checking the pager attached to her waistband. "Peds consult in the pit. I-I have to go," she hesitantly said and cleared her throat. "See ya, Jackson."

"Wait. How about I come over to your place and help you babysit?" he offered, despite the fact he literally wanted to kick himself in the face for doing so. He was becoming more desperate than ever to spend time with her outside of the hospital. "Is that cool?"

"Are you serious?" April skeptically replied, folding her arms as she softly laughed at him. "How many kids have you babysat for? And I'll tell you now that I'm expecting a very low number."

Jackson opened his mouth to speak and nervously laughed. The count total was zero. He would rather go on a blind date than babysit somebody else's child. "Doesn't mean I don't know how to watch a kid," he convincingly answered. "And we'll go by your 'no dating' thing. Besides, babysitting shouldn't qualify as a date."

"I'll have to clear this with Mark first. It's his house and he still hates you, so don't get your hopes up just yet," she noted. "Obviously, you haven't met Maddy yet. Have you even interacted at all with Kylie?"

"She's my boss' daughter, so of course I have," he arrogantly replied and pointed at himself. "I can do this. It's no problem. You'll see."

"So you'll play tea party with them if they ask?"

The plastic surgeon bit his lower lip and shook his head. "I'll do anything but play tea party with them. I have to protect my masculinity."

April crouched down for a second to set her coffee cup on one of the steps. She stood up and held out her hands with her palms facing up. "Set your palms over mine," she ordered, but he stared at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "Hand-slap game. Don't you remember?"

"Oh, uhh… sure," Jackson lied and scratched the back of his shaved head. "What are we doing this for?"

"If I slap your hands, you have to play tea party with the girls, but you're a free man if I miss."

"C'mon, that's silly," he scoffed.

"Ah, I see. You're a chicken because you know I'm going to win. I always beat you at this game," April taunted him, grinning mischievously at him. "Forget coming over then."

He groaned and set his coffee cup beside hers before he held out his hands. His palms were face down and about an inch away from April's. She quickly licked her lips as she waited for the perfect moment to catch him off-guard. It was nearly dead silent in the stairwell. The only sounds that could be heard were echoes of footsteps and voices coming from the hallways.

The waiting was beginning to become unbearable for Jackson. "Alright, before my next birthday co- oww!" He whipped his hands away after April slyly slapped the back of them without giving him a chance to react until it was too late.

"I still got it," she gloated, bending over to pick up her coffee cup. April turned around as she headed down the stairs. "If you're serious about helping me babysit, be at the house by 7:30. I'm looking forward to seeing you wear a pink boa and a tiara with fake jewels."

Jackson smiled to himself as he retrieved his cappuccino. "Oh, I'll definitely be there. You can count on that." He walked upstairs, staring at his faintly red left hand. "Damn, she slaps hard."

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 21_

_"Okay, you're making me a little nervous now," Jackson timidly said as he engaged in a friendly hand-slap game with April. Seated on a bench just outside of the dining hall, his palms hovered above hers as he anticipated her next attack. He had quick hands, but hers were quicker. And she slapped fairly hard. "Any second- oww!"_

_"Gotcha!" April excitedly shrieked after she successfully slapped the back of Jackson's hands. She giggled as he shook one of his hands. "Want to go again?"_

_He shook his head with a bashful smile on his face. "No, it's okay. Maybe later when my hand isn't so red."_

_The two of them had grown more comfortable hanging out together. Jackson opened up more about himself and he loved listening to April ramble about her childhood. He especially loved it when she smiled because it showed off the dimple he enjoyed staring at. They held hands and hugged, but they still hadn't shared their first kiss. Both of them wanted it to happen except neither of them were willing to make that bold first move._

_"Are you looking forward to your first overnight camping trip?" she asked enthusiastically._

_"I have a feeling my cabin mates will try to push me off of a cliff when they get the chance," he muttered. Jackson most definitely wasn't looking forward to the camping trip. He wasn't much of an outdoors, nature type of person. And if it wasn't for meeting April, he would have hated being at Wazi even more. "I'd rather stay here with you."_

_The redhead softly smiled at her boyfriend. "Yeah, but you'll be back in two days. It's not as bad as you think. I bet you'll end up having fun." She took his hand and interlocked their fingers together. "I'll miss you, though."_

_Jackson pushed up his glasses and shyly kicked his shoe against the dirt. "Seriously? Well, I mean- I-I I'll miss you too." He thought it was time to make a move. It felt perfect, so leaned forward and instead of kissing her, he whacked her in the face with his forehead. They both grabbed their faces, wincing in pain. "I'm sorry!"_

_April rubbed her nose and laughed. "It's fine. What were you trying to do?"_

_"Umm… kiss you?" he sheepishly answered, then he sat upright on the bench. "Clearly, that didn't go so well. I thought if I just went for it… I guess my aim sucks really bad. Pretend that didn't happen, okay?"_

_She watched him cower his head in embarrassment. He stared down at his Air Jordan's, stepping one foot on top of the other. Jackson seemed to be mumbling inaudible words to himself. He couldn't believe how awful he was at kissing and he didn't even actually kiss her._

_He raised his head when he heard familiar voices nearby. It was The Hawk and his gang walking down the trail close to the dining hall. In a panic, Jackson grasped April's hand and ran towards the opposite direction, catching her off-guard. He leaped over a bush and landed flat on his stomach, making a loud grunting sound that made his girlfriend chuckle._

_"Jackson, what are you doing?" she questioned curiously. He waved her over and she walked around the bush. She sat down beside him as he cleaned his glasses with his t-shirt. "What's going on?"_

_"Shh! Hiding," he whispered with his finger pressed against his lips. Peeking over the bush, the nerd let out a sigh of relief when the group of counselors disappeared inside of the dining hall. He started to relax as he fanned himself with his t-shirt. "Maybe this camping trip is a blessing in disguise. I won't have to deal with those whackos for a couple of days."_

_"Which whackos are you referring to exactly?"_

_"Those bastard counselors who won't leave me alone," Jackson grumbled, clenching his fists. He swung his right arm as if he was practicing his punches. "I'll get them back soon. One clear punch and The Hawk will wish he never messed with me."_

_April sighed and shook her head. "I don't want you to become violent, Jackson. Those dumb bullies just pick on people younger than them to impress the skanky girl counselors. They all think they're so rad because they're older and they can grow facial hair," she insisted, then she smiled at him. "You are totally a lover and not a fighter."_

_Jackson half-smiled at her. "Can I- can I try to kiss you again?"_

_She nervously bit her lower lip before she quickly nodded. "O-okay. Just try not to smash your forehead into my nose again," she playfully teased._

_They adjusted their sitting positions and faced each other. Once again, they were frozen and reluctant to make a move. After almost a minute of waiting, Jackson took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He leaned forward hoping he wouldn't miss on the second try. With one quick peck, he kissed April on the lips and she squealed in response._

_"What, what? Was it bad?" he asked worriedly, fidgeting with his fingers._

_"No," she giggled. Her cheeks were bright red after experiencing her first kiss. "I just… umm…"_

_Suddenly, April took Jackson by surprise when she yanked on his t-shirt, pulling him back to her and kissing him a few seconds longer than their first one. His eyes grew wide, amazed by her eagerness to kiss him again. She pulled away from him and smiled to herself as she picked at a blade of grass._

_He stared at her with a goofy grin on his face. "Wow," he breathlessly said. He had no idea where her unexpected boost of confidence came from, but his 13-year old mind thought it was the sexiest thing ever. "My uhh, my stomach hurts a little bit."_

_"I think I have butterflies in mine," she quipped. April softly laughed to herself. She practically pounced on a boy and kissed him. Her first kiss wasn't perfect, but it would be memorable for sure. She couldn't wait to tell Lexie about what had just happened. "Wow."_

* * *

The doorbell rang and Mark threw on his dress coat before he checked who was at the door. He inhaled sharply at the sight of a casually dressed Jackson waiting outside. "I can't believe this idiot actually showed up," he muttered to himself. He opened the door, his facial expression showing he was visibly not amused to see him at his home. "Avery."

The younger plastic surgeon half-grinned at his boss and stuffed his hands inside of his pockets. "How's it goin', Sloan?" he politely greeted him.

"A, we're not friends, so this buddy-buddy crap you're pulling isn't working on me. And two, wipe that shit eating grin off of your face before I do it for you," he threatened his attending.

Jackson pursed his lips together and cleared his throat. "Uhh… may I come in? Or is there a secret password?"

"Don't get smart with me, Avery." Mark stepped aside to let him into his house. He closed the door afterwards and brought him into the living room where a small table with a tea set were set up in the corner. Madison and Kylie were already engaging in a friendly tea party with their stuffed animals. "Girls, this is Dr. Avery from work. Kylie, do you remember meeting him at the hospital?"

Kylie gazed up at the two men and pointed at Jackson. "Doc Bad Boy!" she called out and giggled. "You a bad boy!"

"Oh, I have no idea where she got that from," Lexie intruded after overhearing her daughter. She rushed towards the two 3-year olds while simultaneously wearing her earrings. Crouching down beside Kylie, she kissed her cheek and sheepishly grinned at Jackson. "I don't know who taught her to call you that, but sweetie, it's not nice to call people mean names, okay?"

"Daddy call him bad boy," her mini-me replied.

"He did? Well, I guess Daddy and I will have a nice talk about that later," the brunette answered through gritted teeth. Lexie stood up and approached her husband, tugging him away from Jackson. "Seriously?"

Mark shrugged. "What? It's not wrong if I'm telling her the truth."

She rolled her eyes and pulled him towards the front door. "Be good girls, okay? We'll be home later," the urologist said, then she glanced back at Jackson. "We're gonna go ahead and take off. April's upstairs dealing with a phone call. She'll be down soon."

After the couple left, Jackson walked towards the little girls and knelt down beside Madison. Around her neck was his alien necklace, which made him smile. "Hey, Maddy. My name's Jackson. I'm a friend of your mom's," he introduced himself and held out his hand. The shy redhead tightly clutched her small stuffed rabbit and ducked her head. Unlike Kylie, she was extremely shy around unfamiliar faces. He pointed at her necklace. "That's a really cool necklace you got there. I had one just like it when I was young."

"You a bad boy," Kylie accusingly blurted out again.

"Yes, I'm aware," he irritably responded with a smile on his face.

April strolled downstairs, purse in hand. She grimaced as Jackson gazed up at her. "I have a problem," the peds surgeon uncomfortably announced. "I just got off the phone with my resident and I need to drive to the hospital to check on one of my patients. It'll only take about an hour or two, I promise."

His eyes grew wide and he quickly approached her. "No, no, no. You cannot under any circumstances leave me here alone with those little girls," he said in a state of panic. "Your kid won't even look at me and Sloan's keeps calling me a bad boy. This wasn't part of the deal."

"Neither was my _fifth_ year resident botching a simple favor. She asked the nurse to administer the wrong medication for my liver transplant patient and obviously, it didn't go so well. Karev's already out, probably drunk and having sex with some skank from Joe's, so I have to be there to ensure my patient's not dead _and_ to talk to the parents," she replied in annoyance. "All I ask is that you keep them alive and they're in bed by 8:30. You'll be fine, Jackson. Only call me or Mark or Lexie if it's necessary."

"April, I can't-"

"I can't argue with you now. The sooner I leave, the faster I can handle my stupid resident and come home." April blew a kiss to Madison as she headed towards the garage. "Bye, baby! Mommy has to fix something at work, okay? I won't take long. Jackson will watch you and Kylie until then."

Her daughter chased after her, but unfortunately she was a step too slow. The door leading to the garage closed before she got there and she slapped her hand against it. "Mama, cuh'back!" she shrieked. It didn't take long for the tears to flow out of her tiny eyes.

Jackson groaned, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling. He was mentally cursing at himself. One child was taught to loathe him and the other's cries made his head throb instantly. He hated dealing with crying children at the hospital to begin with, but now he had to calm down Madison, who bawled like any other toddler who was attached to their mother.

Neither of them knew him well enough, so how the hell were they going to listen to him?

He needed to come up with a solution fast because Madison's cries were driving him insane. Rushing into the kitchen, he sifted through cabinets until he found what he was looking for. He returned to the living room and held up a bag of Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies.

"Maddy, look what I have," he soothingly said while he opened the bag. "I've got cookies. Do you want a cookie?"

"I want Mama!" she sobbed, sitting down on the floor and throwing a tantrum.

Kylie jumped up from her chair and ran towards Jackson. "Mine!" she exclaimed, yanking the bag out of his hands and running away from him. "My cookies, bad boy!"

"Hey! Get back here you little-" He stopped himself from saying a regrettable word as he chased after the little Sloan girl. Running upstairs, she scurried into her parents' bedroom and crawled underneath the bed. The space was too narrow for him to squeeze inside. He lay flat on his stomach as he watched Kylie stuff a cookie into her mouth. "Uhh, Kylie? How about you come on out of there and eat that cookie downstairs?"

"No!" she giggled. "You a bad boy."

"You heard what your mother said. It's not nice to call people mean names," he reminded her. "So, if you don't crawl out of there, the scary Boogeyman who lives under the bed will show up and eat you."

Kylie dropped her cookie and placed her balled up hands against her eyes as she burst into tears. Now, there were two crying kids to torture him for at least an hour.

Jackson slammed his forehead against the back of his hands. "Great," he mumbled. "I should be getting freaking paid for this."

* * *

One thing Jackson was thankful for – little children could cry themselves to sleep. By the time he managed to convince Kylie to stop hiding underneath Mark and Lexie's bed, which nearly took a half an hour, Madison had fallen asleep on the floor where she had been throwing her tantrum. He found her laying on her side, hugging her stuffed rabbit and sucking her thumb. He carefully picked her up and brought her upstairs to her bedroom.

Kylie had calmed down after the plastic surgeon promised not to tell her parents about the many cookies she eventually ate. He also forced himself to play tea party with her. At least nobody was around to witness him wearing a pink boa and a plastic tiara on his head. He sucked it up and kept the 3-year old entertained with his goofy attempt at a Mad Hatter accent. The second he noticed a yawn out of her, he ended their tea party and carried her upstairs. He helped her brush her teeth to destroy any evidence of her eating cookies before bed time, then he tucked her into her princess themed bed.

An hour had passed, but April wasn't home yet, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Nobody would have to know about what occurred unless one of the girls blabbed. He hoped his pinky swear with Kylie about the cookies would remain a secret. Otherwise, Mark was going to make him one miserable attending at work.

He was sprawled out on the couch when April returned home. His forearm covered his eyes and he appeared exhausted, despite only watching the girls for an hour and a half. She stared at him amusingly before she lightly nudged his shoulder with her finger.

"Jackson?"

"Hmm?" He removed his arm from his face and squinted his eyes at the redhead. "Oh, you're home. Is your patient alive?"

She nodded as he sat up on the couch and rubbed his eyes. "Yes, he's fine. Did everything turn out fine while I was gone? No problems whatsoever with the girls?"

"Nope. They behaved," he lied. They sucked the life out of him. More like Kylie did. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet, but Jackson was ready to go home to his condominium and pass out on his bed. He slowly stood up stretching his arms over his head. "Anyway, I'm gonna bail before Mark and Lexie come home."

April followed him to the front door and walked outside with him. She slightly smiled at the tired man as they stood on the steps in front of the house. "I'm sorry we didn't hang out tonight, but thank you for watching the girls. I saved myself a lot of time by not having to call a babysitter."

"Is it too much to ask to have dinner with me again?" he half-heartedly questioned. "Or are you still playing hard to get?"

She tugged on his hooded jacket and kissed his lips. Surprised at first, he quickly kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her lower back. He didn't quite understand why she decided to finally kiss him, but he wasn't complaining. Maybe the thought of him babysitting alone was sexy to her, he thought.

Headlights shining at their direction forced them to pull away from each other. April wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as Mark pulled into the driveway. She waved at the couple when they got out of her brother's black Mercedes. "Back already?" she greeted them.

"He was getting paranoid about Jackson possibly killing our children after you texted him about having to check on a patient," Lexie answered, rolling her eyes as she pointed at Mark. "So, we rushed our dinner and came home as fast as we could."

"Are they dead, Avery?" Mark rudely asked.

"They're asleep. Your Kylie is such an angel," Jackson sarcastically replied, smirking at his superior. "We were fine. Also, I was just leaving, so you can breathe easy again."

Lexie slipped her hand into Mark's and led him into the house. "Thanks for helping us, Jackson. Goodnight," she acknowledged, though she didn't sound very grateful. She seemed too annoyed with her husband to be nice to anybody.

April waited until the front door was closed, then she shyly shrugged her shoulders at Jackson. "It's been a long day for everybody," she insisted. "The life of a surgeon. You know how it is."

"Yeah. So, is this Friday night alright for you?" Jackson asked eagerly. He was smiling again, mainly because they finally shared their first kiss since he began pursuing her.

"Friday night is perfect," she cheerfully answered. "I'll see you tomorrow at work."

Spying on them from inside of the house was Mark, who used the peephole to watch his sister say her goodbyes to Jackson. He groaned in disgust as he watched them share a long, deep kiss before the other plastic surgeon walked to his Porsche. "You're a dead man, Dweebles."

* * *

**So, yeah. The Hawk = Mark... anybody guess that correctly? ;)**


	8. I Broke Something, Didn't I?

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Lexie and Jackson were forced to work together on a gender reassignment surgery. Mark was watching from the gallery with other doctors, while he had his urologist wife use the opportunity wisely to interrogate the plastic surgeon.

"More suction, Edwards," Jackson ordered his resident. The second year resident did as she was told, though her hand slightly trembled. He had that effect on all of the female residents who scrubbed in with him, many of which had slept with him at least once since he moved to Seattle. "Shaky hands? For a delicate surgery like this one, shaky hands are unacceptable. Switch with Mostow."

"Perhaps you should choose residents you don't have any prior history with," Lexie mumbled behind her surgical mask. He furrowed his eyebrows at her in response. "Maybe then you wouldn't have to deal with uneasy residents. Just some advice, Avery."

A few of the women in the OR who _hadn't_ slept with the playboy snickered at her remark. Jackson simply rolled his eyes. "Well, I won't pick just any resident for this complicated procedure – not that they'll be touching the patient, but some are better at suctioning than others. Unfortunately, I made the wrong choice today."

Meanwhile upstairs in the gallery, April arrived with a cup of coffee. She found an empty seat beside Mark and sat down. "Hey, how come you're not down there? This surgery's pretty much a big deal and as the Head of Plastics, I'm surprised you're up here instead."

"Avery's got this. Still hate the guy, but that doesn't take away the fact that he's a good surgeon. Plus, I can't be in the same operating room as him without wanting to kick his ass," her stepbrother answered as he kept his eyes on the surgery below. Since witnessing Jackson and April kissing in front of his home, he forcefully restrained himself from wrapping his million dollar hands around the egotistical surgeon's neck. "And what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're here to watch Mr. Pretty Eyes."

She nudged him with her elbow. "I have some free time on my hands and I've never watched a gender reassignment procedure in person before," the peds surgeon insisted and pointed at Lexie. "I'm also showing support for my best friend, you know. Maybe you're the one who's obsessed with Jackson."

"Please," he scoffed. "I normally don't give a crap about what he does personally, but since you're involved I have to be too. He's playing games with you, April. You're a smart girl, but he's making you so dense. If Matthew was still alive-"

"Don't pull the Matthew card on me, Mark. That's not fair," she sternly whispered. April glanced down at Jackson, who just happened to look up at her. He smiled behind his surgical mask, but she tried her best not to return the gesture at the risk of pissing off Mark even more. "And people can change. _You_ changed."

"If you're expecting him to transform into this Prince Charming for you, you're wrong," Mark dismissed, shaking his head. "First and foremost, you two wouldn't work out because Avery hates children. He wants nothing to do with them unless it's surgical related. Maddy needs a father figure who won't put her second. She _always_ comes first no matter what."

"How do you know he hates children?" April asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

He softly chuckled. "C'mon, a guy like him? Sleeping around with various women, living the single life because being a bachelor is easier than the married life. No room for kids. You want confirmation about that? Ask Karev. He's an asshole, but he tells the truth."

"I think you're wrong. If he hated children, he wouldn't have volunteered to help me babysit the girls the other night," she insisted, her eyes gazing back at Jackson in the OR. "They were fine, Mark. For once, can you just cut him some slack?"

"No. He's not right for you, April. Maybe when he was Dweebles-"

"Who?" April immediately furrowed her eyebrows at Mark. "Umm, who is… Dweebles?"

Mark looked back at her with a smug grin on his face. "Dweebles is the nerd I beat up during my last summer as a counselor at Wazi," he answered and laughed to himself. "I had no idea he was your boyfriend until Lexie told me who Avery actually was. I was pretty shocked a dork like him landed a girlfriend at camp and the fact that it was you makes it even funnier."

She remembered young Jackson fearing for his life whenever some guy called The Hawk was nearby. While she was aware of the fact that her older brother preyed on nerdy boys to bully, she always knew him as Mark and not by a silly nickname. "Wait a minute. _You_ were The Hawk?"

He nodded arrogantly and twitched his eyebrows. "Hilarious, huh?" Instead of laughing along with him, April slapped his bicep hard. He winced as he rubbed his arm. "Hey, what the hell was that for?"

"You ass! Do you have any idea how miserable you made him?" the angry redhead scolded him. "And it's not funny! Jackson was a sweet boy when I met him at camp and it's people like you who turned him into the person he is today."

"Whoa now. I am not the one who turned Avery into a cocky plastic surgeon. His personality change is his own damn fault. I didn't do anything," he retorted. "Newsflash, he's not the same boy you dated when you were thirteen. And you know what? Sucking face with him only makes you just like the other women he slept with and dumped the next morning."

April ignored the bystanders around them, who were listening to their conversation. They hadn't been keeping their voices down at that point. "What I do with Jackson is none of your business," she angrily replied.

"As long as you're living in my house, I say it is," Mark countered.

"Fine! We're moving out!" she exclaimed. "Maddy and I can survive on our own. I don't need you ordering me around like you own me, Mark."

Down below in the OR, Lexie briefly glanced up at the gallery. Before she returned to her patient, she did a double take when she noticed Mark and April engaging in a heated argument. Their voices were inaudible because the intercom was off, but her best friend's flailing arms signaled that she was uber pissed. Most of the staff inside with them upstairs weren't paying attention to the surgery anymore. They were more intrigued by what was happening between the two step-siblings.

"What in the world is going on up there?" the brunette questioned in annoyance. This was an epic procedure for her, the biggest and most important surgery she was participating in and nobody seemed to care anymore. "Will somebody go up to the gallery and tell those two to shut up or get the hell out? They're distracting."

Jackson's eyes darted towards the gallery. It was a no-brainer to him what they were fighting about. Plus, he was highly skilled at reading lips and he caught April saying his name. "Maybe if Sloan would just back off-"

"He's only trying to protect April from you," Lexie interrupted before she muttered, "I have no problem with that at all."

"So you're playing control freak too?" he scoffed. "She's allowed to date whoever she wants."

"You don't date people, Jackson. You sleep with them. Big difference," she argued. "And I don't enjoy seeing my best friend getting pulled into your carousel of skanks either."

"That was uncalled for, Lexie."

"How so? It's true, isn't it?"

The plastic surgeon scowled at the urologist. "Listen, my personal life has no business being put in the spotlight while I'm operating. You don't have to like what I do with my life, but you should at least have the courtesy to respect me in a professional environment," he rebuked.

"Respect?" she guffawed. "Pardon me, but when did _you_ ever show any respect to anybody in the OR? I can probably list names on one hand and unfortunately, I would just have a balled up fist because I can't think of a doctor, nurse, anesthesiologist or any other staff member you've ever given respect to _anywhere_ in this hospital."

Now the two surgeons were in an argument of their own as the rest of the people occupying the OR watched quietly. While it would have been appropriate for somebody to intervene, seeing the always perfect and pompous Jackson Avery get put in his place was too good to stop. Unprofessional? Yes, but nobody dared to challenge him the way Lexie had.

Arizona entered the gallery after overhearing the bickering between April and Mark. She walked towards the first row where they were seated and stopped in front of them. "Excuse me, but what the hell is going on?" she snapped before pointing at the window behind her. "In case you haven't noticed, Seattle Grace has the honor of performing just the second sex change operation in the Northwest. This is a teaching hospital and you two are attendings. You should be setting an example for our residents by acting like grown adults instead of little children. Whatever your problem is between each other, either wait until the surgery is over or take it outside right now."

"Actually, I was just leaving," April irritably stated, standing up from her seat. She headed for the exit and stopped in the doorway. "And one more thing, Dr. Sloan. That Vanilla Ice haircut you had when you were eighteen? That was so 1990. You were three years late with that ridiculous hairstyle."

After she left, Mark slowly slouched in his seat, while the younger residents snickered in response. Arizona smirked at her colleague and he instantly glared back at her. "Before you say anything, shut up," he mumbled.

The Chief turned around to check on how Jackson and Lexie were progressing with their surgery. However, they were busy pointing fingers at each other rather than fixing their patient. "Them too?" she said in disgust, then she pressed the intercom bottom. "Dr. Avery, Dr. Grey-Sloan. Is there a problem?"

Both surgeons peered up at their superior. Lexie cleared her throat before she answered, "I'm sorry, but Dr. Avery has been disruptive in my OR. I'm having trouble concentrating due to his inappropriate behavior."

"Are you kidding me?" He pointed at himself. "I've done nothing wrong, Chief Robbins. It's Dr. Grey-Sloan who has been inappropriate and unprofessional."

"You know what? I can take it from here," Mark chimed in and stood up. "Avery, you're out. This is a complex surgery and I don't want you botching it because neither of you can get along."

"No! This is my surgery too!" Jackson yelled. "You can't throw me out of every OR simply because your wife doesn't like me. That's favoritism by a landslide. Chief Robbins, you can't let him do this to me!"

Arizona raised her hand to silence the pretty man. "Dr. Avery, you're a fine surgeon and I'm sure you're doing your best, but Sloan has a point. You two won't successfully complete this procedure if you're not on the same page with each other. Please step aside and let him take over," she instructed.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, tossing his instruments into the tray beside him. Jackson removed his surgical mask before ripping off his gloves and gown. Without saying another word, he left the OR feeling more frustrated than the first time he was kicked out of a surgery.

This time, he didn't deserve it. He hadn't started any trouble with Lexie until she opened her mouth about his personal life. It was a surgery he knew his mother would have been proud of him for doing. He thought he would finally get the recognition he desperately wanted from his family except now he was off of the case due to nepotism and well, a bunch of bullshit.

Jackson skipped the scrub room and angrily strolled down the hallway. He knew most of his coworkers despised him, but he felt they were unnecessarily ganging up on him – because of April. Working at Seattle Grace almost didn't feel worth it anymore. There were other hospitals who would gladly accept him into their plastic surgery department. Maybe he would meet another woman like April without the excess baggage.

Oh, who was he kidding? There wouldn't be another woman like her elsewhere.

And why did he care about commitment _now_? He loved the bachelor life. It was free of attachment and feelings. The pervert in him missed sex greatly. Although, he believed he was beginning to have a good thing going with April, so screwing it up now by sleeping with a random woman from Joe's would destroy any hope of making it far with her. Of course, any chance of having a normal relationship with the peds surgeon was damn near impossible if Mark continued to act as a roadblock for them. He likely rallied the rest of his friends to do the same.

The more he thought about how aggravating his boss was, the angrier he became. He was ready to explode.

"Dr. Avery, is the surgery finished? I was really hoping to watch some of it in the gallery after scrubbing out of Yang's triple bypass procedure," an overly perky Shane Ross inquired. The wide grin on the intern's face seemed to do enough to set off the plastic surgeon.

Shocking him and the other people passing by, Jackson violently swung his right hand and his fist collided with the vending machine, shattering the glass all over the floor. Shane jumped back, fearing he would be the next target. Blood spilled out from the older surgeon's knuckles and shards of glass were piercing into his skin. He hardly felt any pain with the adrenaline temporarily numbing him from feeling the stupidity he had just done.

"Avery! What the hell did you do?" Callie barked at him as she rushed towards the injured doctor. She gingerly picked up his right hand and shook her head. "Are you insane? C'mon, let's get this cleaned up before you do something else idiotic. Ross, can you have someone clean up the glass, please?"

She escorted Jackson away from the scene, shooing away nurses and doctors who witnessed the incident. He inhaled sharply as he clenched his hand against chest. The pain gradually increased, forcing him to worry that he may have done more damage than he intended to. He knew he had possibly screwed himself out of one or two months worth of surgeries.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 25_

_For the first time since arriving at Wazi, Jackson was on his own. April and Lexie were away on their cabin's overnight camping trip. He and George weren't exactly best friends, probably never would be until the redhead they both had feelings for was single again. Being alone forced him to engage in various activities he normally wouldn't do if his girlfriend was around. Pottery class, free swim, archery. He took another stab at the rock climbing wall too. Once again, he never reached the top of the wall, but his time improved by one minute less, which was satisfying enough for him._

_April left behind her Walkman for him, so he could listen to the mix tape she created for the summer. Blind Melon's "No Rain" was the first song on the playlist and he finally understood why she appreciated the song so much. He found himself relating to it as well._

_Jackson was seated on a bench with headphones covering his ears. He slowly bobbed his head to Radiohead's "Creep". The song was practically his anthem in his mind. A hand yanked the headphones away from his ears causing him to jump. He groaned as Mark walked around the bench, grinning mischievously at the poor nerd._

_"What do we have here, Dweebles?" he teasingly said and grabbed the Walkman from Jackson's hands. "Don't you know the rules? No listening to music outside of the cabins. So you're a rule breaker too?"_

_"Give that back!" the younger teenager demanded. Jackson reached for April's Walkman, but Mark slapped his hand away. "It's not even mine! It's my girlfriend's!"_

_Mark laughed hysterically. "You? You got a girlfriend? Imaginary girlfriends don't count, you little wiener," he quipped. Waving the cassette player in the air, he entertained himself as Jackson tried to snatch it back from him. The counselor had more height on the nerd, standing at 6'2" over his 5'8" stature. "C'mon, you can try harder than that, dork."_

_The Hawk may have been taller and stronger, but he also wasn't the most clever person between them. Jackson took advantage of Mark's arms in the air and punched him in the nuts._

_Keeling over, Mark temporarily wheezed in pain as he grabbed his favorite body part. "You little shit!" he grunted. Pushing himself up, he swung his forearm against the side of Jackson's head knocking off his glasses. "You want your stupid Walkman back?"_

_Jackson gasped in horror when Mark threw the Walkman down onto the ground. He stepped on the already ruined cassette player to wreck it even more. "I told you that wasn't mine!"_

_"Oh, right. Your so-called girlfriend's," he scoffed, playfully slapping his favorite nerd's cheek. "Consider yourself lucky that I didn't beat your ass today, Dweebles. Try that crap on me again and you're gonna regret it."_

_After his bully left him alone, Jackson picked up his glasses and quickly cleaned them off with his t-shirt. He hoped April's Walkman wasn't broken, but he wasn't very optimistic about that. Bits and pieces were spread out on the ground. None of the buttons worked. Broken. April was going to kill him – and possibly dump him when she returned._

* * *

"Fuck," Jackson mumbled under his breath as Callie used pliers to carefully pull out a shard of glass from his swollen hand. They sat alone in an examination room with his right arm resting flat on a table. His hand had ballooned by the time she started cleaning it up. "I broke something, didn't I?"

"Most likely," she gleefully replied, holding back her smile. "We still need an x-ray to confirm it, though. So, what exactly did the big, bad vending machine do to you?"

"Torres, shut it. I've dealt with enough crap from the Sloan brigade today, so spare me the heckling," he dejectedly answered, grimacing when she worked on another piece of glass in his hand.

Callie pulled out another piece of glass and dropped it into a tray. "Did it have anything to do with a certain redhead whose brother is my best guy friend?" she speculated.

"Lexie asked Robbins to basically throw me out of the OR in the middle of our gender reassignment surgery. She started badgering me about my personal life and we started arguing, then she freakin' told on me like we're in Kindergarten," the plastics man complained. "And nobody will take my side in anything, so Mark opted to replace me with himself and Robbins agreed. It's pathetic. I deserve to be in that OR. I worked my ass off to be in there and I get kicked out over a stupid grudge."

"Mark is a family man. He cares about everything that happens to his family and he's always been overprotective of April even when he picked on her at times," the orthopedic surgeon explained.

"Well, he's taking it too far. How am I supposed to improve as a surgeon if I'm getting kicked out of major surgeries?"

"Doesn't matter right now anyway. You probably won't be operating anytime soon," she reminded him. After she finished removing all of the pieces of glass from Jackson's hand, Callie rinsed off the blood with saline. She examined his bruised hand and gently pressed her thumb over each metacarpal bone until she reached the fourth one, in which he nearly screamed in pain. "Huh, we have a winner. Your ring finger appears aligned, but I won't know how bad your fracture is until we get the x-ray done."

Jackson sighed. "You think I'll need surgery for this?"

"Not sure yet. Like I said, we need to get an x-ray first. If your fracture's angulated to the point I can't push it back in place myself, I'll have to insert pins. You should pray for no surgery because that could knock you out of OR's for at least three months." Callie cleaned Jackson's cuts with an antibiotic ointment. "I will get you some ice for your hand. Just sit back and relax, Avery."

"Umm… thank you for helping me," he acknowledged. "I appreciate it."

The Latina woman gave him a quick nod before she left him alone. It wasn't often he thanked his peers and actually meant it. Even his normally bigheaded ego couldn't overpower his shame. Eventually, Arizona would give him a piece of her mind. Mark too. What would April think of him now?

He fully expected Callie to enter the room with a bag of ice when the door opened, but it was April instead. She softly gasped at his injured hand and frowned. "I heard you umm… messed up your hand. Why?" she asked worriedly as she approached him. "You're a freaking surgeon for crying out loud!"

"You're gonna think I'm an idiot. It had to do with your brother, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you."

"Regardless of the reason, punching a vending machine _is_ idiotic," she chided. April sat down across from Jackson. "I have my own issues with Mark too, but I'm not going to risk my surgical career by breaking my hand. What are you even doing outside of the OR anyway? You guys weren't close to being finished."

"I was kicked off the surgery because of Mark and Lexie! Robbins took their words over mine and I lost my place in the OR. I'm sorry if this doesn't impress you, but I was furious," he defended himself. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I don't punch vending machines over a woman and I most certainly don't try this hard to be with one."

April nervously bit her lower lip and stared down at the floor. "Do you hate children?" she timidly questioned, changing the subject. "I-I heard something about you and I just want to know the truth. So… is it true? Because Maddy means everything to me an-and I can't date anybody who has zero interest in her."

Jackson took a deep breath before he answered, "In my opinion, kids are a pain in the ass. I never wanted them. I just fix them and babysitting Maddy and Kylie alone was terrible." He chuckled to himself. "Maddy wouldn't talk to me. I tried to bribe her with cookies when she started throwing a tantrum after you left. Kylie swiped the bag from me and hid under a bed. Took me half an hour to convince her to come out. By then, she probably ate six or seven cookies. Oh, and I made her cry when I told her about the Boogeyman. No offense, but that little girl is a brat."

She glanced up at him appalled. "You were just kissing my ass then?"

"Honestly, I was at first. Even offering to babysit was me sucking up to you. I didn't thoroughly enjoy babysitting, but there were moments when I thought I got the hang of it. It wasn't so bad, just exhausting," he admitted. "But you know I've also been developing feelings for you. And I thought I wasn't making any progress with you until you kissed me that night. So, you can believe what you want to believe. I'm not sure what else I can do to show how sincere I am. Nobody seems to think I can change, so why should I expect you to?"

"If you don't care about my daughter, then why should I bother dating you?"

"I never said I didn't care about her. Kids weren't something I envisioned in my future, that's all." Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand. He was incredibly stressed out with everything that had just happened and the possibility of blowing his chance with April _again_ made him feel worse. "If I told you right now that I'm ready to be a father to Maddy, that would be the biggest lie I've ever told. I'm not ready to be a father to anybody. I don't know a thing about fatherhood because mine left when I was two years old. And my mother had a new boyfriend every three or four months. I can't say that didn't screw me up a little bit."

April understood where Jackson was coming from. She had her share of abandonment issues when she was a young child. "I don't think I told you what happened to my mother when we were teenagers. Actually, I couldn't because I have no idea what happened in the first place. All my dad found was a short note beside his bed and she was gone by then," she recalled. "I was barely three years old and my older sister Libby was five. Dad said she had issues, but that's all he would tell us. He seemed really unhappy until he met Mark's mom and well, you know the rest of the story."

"Yeah, but you were able to grow up with two parents throughout most of your life. I was raised by one parent who cared more about who her next boyfriend would be than how miserable I was," he resentfully stated. "I'm a messed up guy, alright? I'll admit it. Mark and the others, they're right about you. You're too good for me, so just go. A guy like O'Malley is perfect for you."

"George?" she softly chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. "We're just friends. I don't want to date him."

"The man's crazy about you, has been since we were teens. We fought over you even when I was already with you," he replied, rolling his eyes. "And I may not like him much, but he's a better person than I am."

April shook her head. "Jackson, just… shut up." She placed her hands against his cheeks and kissed him passionately, gently biting on his lower lip when she partially pulled away from him. "I'm not going to let you push me away that easily. You're a good person. You just need to show that side of you more often."

"I can't do that when everyone else already has their final judgments about me." The plastic surgeon sadly smiled at the redhead in front of him. He was convinced she was ready to end their playful game after he answered her question about children, but that didn't appear to be the case. "So… why aren't you walking away from me? I told you things that should be turning you off."

"Because I do believe you can change. For somebody who's usually confident in himself, I would've thought you did too. And umm… don't we have a date on Friday?" she playfully asked and slid onto his lap. "I mean, if you want to cancel-"

"No way," Jackson quickly disagreed and laughed. "I don't want to cancel. So, you really want to give this a shot?"

"Yes, but let's go slow. No rushing, no funny business. Besides, you need to take care of that hand first." April looked back at the not so pretty hand. "Seriously, what were you thinking? Chief Robbins is going to give you hell for this. And Mark-"

"I don't care what he thinks about us, okay?"

"Is this a bad time to tell you that Mark was the guy who beat you up when we were thirteen?" she asked with a grimace.

"The Hawk was Mark?!" Jackson stared at her with wide eyes. His former tormentor was now his boss. He was certain somebody placed a curse on him. "Did you know the whole time?"

She quickly shook her head. "No, I swear! I only knew Mark as… well, Mark. If I knew it was him, I would've told him to stop picking on you. I am so sorry, Jackson. I wish I had known then."

He smirked at her as he recalled the Walkman incident. "Okay, I have a confession to make. Remember your Walkman?"

"The one I bought with my birthday money and you dropped into the lake?"

"Yeah, that one except I lied. I didn't drop it in the lake. Your dumbass brother smashed it. I lied about what happened to it because I was afraid he'd kick my ass if I ratted him out."

"You should've just told me the truth. I almost broke up with you!" April laughed as she remembered how distraught she was over her lost Walkman. "I'm glad I didn't. I couldn't stay mad at you because you were so sweet."

Jackson soothingly rubbed her lower back with his left hand and smiled. "Do you think I'm sweet now?"

"Right now, yes, but you need to learn to stay that way," she truthfully answered and kissed him again.

Callie returned with an ice bag and whistled at the couple making out in front of her. "Alright. Break it up, kids," she teased, giggling when April jumped up to her feet. "Kepner, you should get out of here. Mark's coming over from the OR to see the damage your Prince Charming's done to his hand."

April nodded as she rushed towards the door. "Please don't tell him I was in here." She smiled back at Jackson before she left the room.

The orthopedic surgeon handed the ice bag to her coworker. "So, this thing you're doing with April, should I be concerned? Because I look at her as a younger sister and if you do anything to hurt her, Mark won't be the only person who wants to murder you."

"I'm not using her or taking advantage of her," he insisted as he placed the ice bag on top of his swollen hand. "She's someone I care about, which you probably don't believe, but I'm serious."

"I know about your past. April told me about it, so I know you're not looking at her like she's just another easy lay for you. However, that doesn't necessarily mean I trust you completely, Avery. Keep that in mind." Callie folded her arms and shrugged with a smile on her face. "Anyway, it's kind of fun watching this. It's like a live action Nicholas Sparks novel."

He softly chuckled. "Whatever. As long as the guy gets the girl in the end, you can call it anything you want."

* * *

**Thoughts? Also, Mama Avery's coming to town in the next chapter ;)**


	9. Is This Your Girlfriend?

**Thanks for the reviews, folks! I'm currently writing three fics (and a fourth that's coming soon) at the same time, but I will try to update as frequently as possible :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jackson's head sprung up at the sound of his doorbell ringing furiously in his condominium. It was Saturday morning _and_ his day off. All he wanted to do was sleep in for once, but whoever was at his door ruined that plan.

And a broken hand turned sleeping into a daunting task, despite the fact that his forearm, hand and his ring and pinky fingers were covered with an ulnar gutter splint. The verdict was a boxer's fracture after x-rays showed a clean break at the neck of his fourth metacarpal. It didn't require surgery, but his hand would be immobilized for at least four weeks. However, barely three days had passed since he broke his hand and it was already a pain in the ass.

His date with April would have been more pleasant if he could use both of his hands to eat dinner. He was too embarrassed to ask her to cut his steak for him, especially when it was their first true date. And he refused to treat her like she was his mother. She drove him home because he couldn't control the gear shift of his Porsche. Not the most romantic of dates, but he enjoyed spending time with her without Mark or any other person who loathed him intruding.

The only person he would be okay with waking him up via doorbell was April, but he knew it couldn't be her. She was working that day, which was disappointing because he would have loved to spend an entire day with the peds surgeon. He slowly climbed out of his bed, stretching his arms over his head as he yawned. Walking out of his bedroom in his gray boxer briefs, he groaned as the ringing continued.

"I'm coming, damn," he muttered under his breath.

Opening the door with his left hand, Jackson stumbled back when another man pounced on him. "Little brother!"

"Grayson?" the plastic surgeon said in surprise.

The man at the door was his oldest brother, Grayson Avery. Five years older than Jackson, he was a cardiothoracic surgeon at Mass Gen. Their middle brother, Harrison, practiced the same specialty at the same hospital as well. Unlike the youngest Avery boy, both of his brothers developed much faster during their adolescent years. They teased Jackson when he was a lanky nerd and ridiculed him even more when he chose plastic surgery for his specialty. Even when he grew out of his awkward years they didn't hesitate to give him a hard time because he was the youngest of the bunch.

Grayson put Jackson in a headlock and gave him a noogie, to the latter's dismay. "Seriously, Jack-O. You need to grow some hair. It makes the noogie actually worth it," he quipped before he released him from his grip.

"What are you doing here?" he irritably asked, rubbing the top of his head. "A phone call would've been a nice warning, bro."

"You wouldn't have answered because you know, you're this hot shot plastic surgeon who hardly bothers to contact his family," the elder Avery scoffed. He pointed at Jackson's injured hand. "Man, Mom is going to be all over your ass when she sees what you've done."

"_Mom's_ here?" Jackson gasped. A surprise visit from his brother wasn't that bad, but his _mother_?

"Yeah, why are you shocked? Did you think punching a wall wouldn't be a big deal? Your boss called her on Thursday, but we couldn't fly out until yesterday night."

The plastic surgeon rolled his eyes. He wanted to kill Mark Sloan for calling Catherine Avery. "I punched a vending machine not a wall. I'm not _that_ stupid," he retorted. "And who's we? Did the entire clan hop on a plane to pester me for breaking my hand?"

Grayson chuckled. "Relax, Jack-O. It's just Mom and I, but Grandfather sends his regards."

"I highly doubt that," Jackson skeptically replied. If anybody completely resented him for choosing Plastics, it was Harper Avery. "Anyway, where's Mom? Is she waiting downstairs?"

"Nope. At Seattle Grace, so hurry up and put some clothes on. She's waiting for us there," he ordered, clapping his hands. "I'm here to come get you. Somebody has to drive for ya since you can't drive stick at the moment. I'm looking forward to test driving that fancy Porsche of yours too."

Jackson quickly waved his arms. "No way! You are _not_ driving my Porsche. Nobody touches that baby except for me and Frank, the valet guy."

"Okay, I can always have Mom come over here instead and have her nitpick everything about your condo," Grayson insinuated as he began dialing a number on his cell phone.

His younger brother snatched the cell phone away and cancelled the call. "Give me fifteen minutes," he sternly replied, slapping the phone against his chest before he retreated to his bedroom.

"Oh, yeah. She has a present for you too," Grayson called out. "And by present, just keep in mind I'm going by her definition of presents."

Jackson returned to his bedroom dreading what his mother had in store for him. When he lived in Boston she constantly surprised him with gifts he never asked for and rarely received presents that he _did_ want. And as a teenager, Catherine hadn't paid much attention to him, making him feel parentless. There were times when he thought she was just a doctor who decided to procreate, so her surgical legacy wouldn't die after she did.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 30_

_Surviving one week of camp was challenging, but a whole month felt like climbing Mount Everest for Jackson. He was thankful to last an entire month at Wazi without breaking any bones after his many encounters with The Hawk. Only bumps, cuts and bruises. At least he was able to pay his bully back once and in the one area no male ever wanted to be hit._

_And April had forgiven him for "losing" her Walkman. He wished he could make it up to her somehow, but nothing created in any of the art classes would match the price of her cassette player. Jackson considered himself lucky to still have a girlfriend when it was all said and done._

_Because it was the end of the first session of camp, it also marked the first time the campers would receive mail from their parents. Some were fortunate enough to get presents, which was normally in the form of snacks, while others simply got letters with updates from home. Not every camper was lucky, though. There were kids and teenagers with parents who were less enthused about writing to their children._

_It wasn't a surprise to Jackson when he was the only boy in his cabin to not receive anything. Catherine was too busy traveling around Europe to even bother sending him a postcard. He would even accept a postcard without anything written on it. That would show his mother cared a little bit about him, but he reminded himself that he came from a family where the children were at the bottom of the priority chain. His older brothers took care of themselves just fine. They were strong and independent. The same couldn't be said for the 13-year old._

_For one day, he just wanted to feel loved by his mother instead of being treated like he was an obligation._

_April spotted her boyfriend sitting at their newly anointed "special" place behind the bushes next to the dining hall. It was where they shared their first kiss and it became the ideal hiding spot for their nerdy makeout sessions. She and Lexie were walking down a trail with their elbows linked together and indulging in the bag of Oreos her father sent from Seattle. Of course, she wanted to share the wealth with Jackson. She just needed to find him first and she was glad when she did._

_"Jackson, there you are," the redhead cheerfully said._

_He looked up at them with a half-smile. "Oh, hey. Hi, Lexie."_

_The two best friends sat down in between Jackson. April kissed his cheek, which made Lexie giggle because they were always shy about PDA in front of anybody at camp. All she ever got to witness were their hugs and innocent hand holding._

_"Oh my gosh, you guys are like the cutest couple. If there was an award at camp for best couple, I would totally vote for you," Lexie gushed, grinning widely and showing off her Oreo covered braces. "I'm so jealous of you, April. I wish I had a boyfriend."_

_"Well, there's George," Jackson sheepishly replied._

_"Eww! I hope you were joking," she playfully retorted and nudged him with her elbow. "And I wouldn't want to kiss George anytime soon. He's in the first aid cabin because he mistakenly ate a candy bar with peanuts in it and his lips blew up."_

_He pursed his lips, trying not to smile too much about what happened to George. Bad karma for embarrassing him at the dance. "Uhh… that sucks," he murmured._

_"Have some Oreos, Jackson," April offered and placed the bag on his lap. "My dad mailed them to me. We gotta finish these before dinner or else we have to dump the rest that are leftover."_

_"Thanks." Jackson picked up an Oreo and sighed. "I got nothing. No big deal. I wasn't expecting my mother to send me anything anyway."_

_Lexie patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright. My mom didn't even bother to sign the letter my dad mailed. She's a surgeon who doesn't have time for anything except cutting people," she noted and rolled her eyes. "My sister Meredith went through this rebellious phase to get her attention, but all our mom did was ask her if she'll get over it by the time she starts med school. She really didn't care."_

_"Your mom's a surgeon too? Maybe mine and yours should be best friends," he scoffed. "They sound exactly the same to me. What about your dad? What does he do?"_

_"He's a teacher at one of the local high schools. At least he goes out of his way to spend time with Mer and I," she answered. "What about you?"_

_"I… I don't have one," Jackson responded with a frown. "I'm kind of an orphan."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry," Lexie apologetically said. "Is he dead?"_

_"Lexie!" April furrowed her eyebrows at her best friend, then she slipped her hand into Jackson's. "You don't have to answer that."_

_"No, it's fine. He could very well be dead for all I know." Jackson shrugged as he took a bite out of his Oreo. He truly had no idea where his father went after his parents divorced. He and his brothers never received birthday cards from him, so they speculated their father erased them from his life or he was dead. "I doubt he would've been a good parent if he's been gone for most of my life without any form of contact."_

_"You should move into my house," Lexie suggested and laughed. "I've always wanted a brother, especially when my sister's mean to me. Plus, I need a new sibling at home since she's leaving for college."_

_He smiled at her. "That wouldn't be such a bad idea. It would be nice to know what it's like to have at least one parent. I probably won't experience that until I get married to somebody with cool parents. I can't wait for that day."_

* * *

Poorly disguising himself in casual clothes, Jackson followed Grayson into Seattle Grace Hospital. He covered his head with the hood of his black zip up jacket and wore aviator shades to hide himself even more. It was pointless, though, because even if Catherine didn't recognize him immediately, his coworkers would.

"Where is she?" the plastic surgeon muttered as he scanned the main lobby. "Don't tell me she's running around flaunting herself to the entire hospital. You know how much she loves attention."

"Chief Robbins allowed her to scrub in on a surgery, so she's either in an operating room or wandering through the hallways. C'mon, let's go find out where she is."

The two brothers rode the elevator to the third floor. Jackson wanted to run away and hide, but he decided to wait for the perfect opportunity to do so. Grayson forced him to walk ahead of him, so he could keep his eye on his younger brother. They received awkward stares from the people they passed by, mainly because of Jackson's appearance.

April stepped out of a supply closet holding a package of wet absorbing sheets. She politely smiled at the Avery men as they walked past her before she turned around and raised her eyebrow curiously. "Jackson? Is that you?"

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Jackson grunted after Grayson bumped into him from behind. He spun around on his heel and removed his sunglasses. "Hey, April. I didn't see you there," he greeted her with a half-smile.

"Probably because you're wearing sunglasses indoors," she teasingly noted. "What are you doing here? I thought you had the day off. I mean, I don't object to seeing you at all or anything."

He heard Grayson clearing his throat, then he rolled his eyes as he introduced him to April. "This is my brother, Grayson. He's a cardiothoracic surgeon at Mass Gen."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you," April excitedly said. She approached them and extended out her hand. "I'm April Kepner. I'm a pediatric surgeon here."

The cardio surgeon shook her hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Dr. Kepner. Are you a friend of Jackson's?" he questioned and slapped the back of his hand against his brother's chest. "Jack-O here is quite the bragger, but he never talks much about his social life in Seattle."

"Yeah, Jackson and I are… friends," she reluctantly said, gently biting down on her lower lip.

"Okay. Well, you two can chat while I go find Mom." Grayson pointed his finger at Jackson as he backed away from them. "Don't even think about running away, little brother. You can't hide from her forever."

April waited until the elder Avery was far from earshot before she said, "He seems nice."

"Please," Jackson chuckled. He checked their surroundings before he kissed her lips. "I'm glad we bumped into each other. You have to stay away from my mother."

"Why? Your mom is like this pioneer in surgical urology. Lexie's looking forward to meeting her ever since she heard Catherine Avery was in town last night."

"Because my mother is an overbearing, obnoxious meddler. All she ever does with my life is meddle," he explained. Jackson cupped April's cheek and smiled. "We're just getting started. I don't want her giving you bad impressions of me and scaring you off. Trust me. She is going to ask you personal questions you really don't want to answer. She doesn't have a filter."

"But I want to meet her," she insisted. "She's kind of a goddess."

"You will… just not today. It's too soon to be thrown into her world of crazy," the pretty man jokingly replied. "Enough about my mom. What are you doing after work? I can try to evade my family for an hour or two, so we can hang out or something."

April playfully tugged on the zipper of Jackson's hooded jacket. "I am actually leaving work early to check out some apartments for Maddy and I. Mark's being too controlling. I have to get out of there," she answered. "Maybe a place closer to my parents' house, so I don't have to take her to work every day."

Jackson slipped his hand inside of the redhead's lab coat and rested it against her lower back. "You want any help? I know you hate it when I brag, but I'm very good at negotiating," he offered. "Anything's better than spending so-called quality time with my mom."

She gently patted his chest and sighed. "I hate to say this to you, but suck it up, Jackson. She could be the most annoying person in the world, but she's still your mother. One day won't kill you."

He softly groaned, smirking at her. "You just have to be the sensible one, huh?"

"That's why you can't resist me."

"There are a lot of things about you I can't resist," he huskily said, leaning forward for another kiss. The sound of his mother's voice forced him to step back. He turned April around and began politely pushing her away. "Go, go, go!"

"Wait, I-"

"She'll shred you to pieces if you don't go now," Jackson whispered. He spun around, facing his mother as April listened to him and walked away. Aside from Catherine and Grayson, an unknown woman with a pixie cut accompanied them. Both women were dressed in red scrubs. He forced himself to smile and spread his arms out. "Mom…"

Catherine rushed towards Jackson. "There's my baby boy!" She threw her arms over his shoulders and kissed his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark. The first thing she tended to was his broken hand. Carefully picking it up, she shook her head at the sight of his splinted right hand. "Punching a wall? Have you lost your mind, dear?"

"It was a vending machine," he muttered.

"Doesn't matter what you decided to ruin your hand with. You're lucky your grandfather isn't here. He would whoop your behind the second he saw you standing here." The urologist took a step back and examined his attire, her head slowly nodding up and down. "And why are you dressed like the Unabomber? You also look skinny. Are you eating? Oh, and who was that woman you were ushering away? Is she single?"

Jackson stopped listening after the Unabomber question. He only saw Mama Avery every other year since he graduated from medical school and she acted the same way each time they met. She barraged him with questions she knew he wouldn't answer. And she never hesitated to harass him with questions about his marital status. Of the three Avery brothers, he was the only one who wasn't married with children.

Catherine dismissed the irritated expression on his face and gestured her hand towards the other woman in scrubs. "Baby, this is Reed Adamson. She's a urology fellow at The Brigham and a fantastic surgeon as well. She was Chief Resident at Hopkins," she introduced her. Standing on her tip toes, she moved her head close to Jackson's ear and whispered, "And I think she's ovulating right now."

He shut his eyes, pursing his lips. She brought him a woman as a present. Not the first time she had done it. "Too much, Mom," he whispered back.

"Well, I'm not getting any younger. Grayson and Harrison gave me grandbabies. Now, I'm just waiting on you to do your part." She pinched his cheek knowing how much her son hated that. "And you're not getting any younger either."

"So, you're a plastic surgeon?" Reed intruded. She approached Jackson and extended out her hand. "Your mother's told me practically everything about you. I must say, you're a lot… more impressive in person. And you know what people say about large hands…"

Normally, Jackson wouldn't mind a little bit of flirtation, but he was a taken man. "So, you can tolerate my mother?" he quipped. "I mean, she has _a lot_ to say. Doesn't that get overwhelming?"

"No need to be rude, baby," Catherine scolded him. "Anyway, Dr. Adamson would love it if you gave her a grand tour of the hospital."

"Why? She won't be moving here anytime soon," he retorted. Jackson desperately needed a distraction before Catherine could potentially surprise him even more with an application for a marriage license. All he wanted was April and he shooed her away to save herself from humiliating interrogation. "Besides, I thought you two already got one from Chief Robbins."

"Yes, but we only saw the surgical wing. And you and Reed should get to know each other better," she playfully suggested. "We're only here for one more day, so don't waste any more time."

Jackson was relieved to see Alex strolling down the hallway. The peds surgeon spotted them and walked towards the group with a grin on his face. "Ah, Dr. Avery. You're looking stunning today," he half-heartedly complimented. "Then again, when _aren't_ you stunning?"

The urologist smiled at Alex. "Dr. Karev, lovely to see you again," she greeted him, then she glanced back at Jackson and muttered, "I thought I told you to lose this… _friend_ of yours."

Catherine despised Alex with a passion. He was rude, sloppy and she blamed her son's promiscuity on his best friend. Unbeknownst to her, Jackson had already been sleeping around since his undergraduate years at Harvard. When she visited them at Stanford he accidentally blabbed about the many women they had been with, so she assumed Alex was a terrible influence on her baby boy. He was definitely not up to the standards of being an Avery.

"It's impossible to get rid of me," Alex intervened, smirking at her. He wasn't a fan of Mama Avery either. "Jackson and I are attached at the hip."

"Hmm… not really," Jackson quickly countered, then he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He raised both of his eyebrows and backed away from everybody. "Well, damn. I have to go see Dr. Torres about my hand. I should get moving."

Grayson furrowed his eyebrows. "Right now?"

"Yeah. Weird, right? Somehow she knew I'd be here today," he turned around as he rushed down the hallway. "Karev can give Dr. Adamson a tour, Mom!"

"Jackson, get your baby behind back here! Jackson!" Catherine yelled, placing her hands on her hips and stomping her foot. She shook her head in disappointment before facing Reed. "I'm sorry about that, sweetie. He's just shy because he's not as cleaned up as he typically he is. My boy's a man who loves to be dressed up for the opposite sex."

Reed softly laughed. "Oh, it's fine. Maybe when he's not so embarrassed to be around his mother he'll warm up to me." She noticed Alex checking her out and immediately scowled at him. "Excuse you."

"Dude, what?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "You have boobs. I have to look."

She rolled her eyes and looked at Catherine. "How long will we have to wait for Jackson to come back?"

* * *

Dodging his family was more complicated than it seemed. Once Mama Avery realized Jackson had been lying to her, she was going to ask every staff member who knew him – which was about 70% of the hospital – to help search for him. He simply wasn't interested in being matched with a woman he couldn't care less about. There weren't many secure hiding places for him, but there was one area he knew his coworkers wouldn't bother to check.

Jackson removed his hood from his head as he entered the daycare center. He scanned the colorful room for a child he recognized. Otherwise, his plan to hide in there would only make him look like a creepy child molester. There was one redheaded girl who caught his attention. Little Madison was seated at a small table coloring on a sheet of paper. He saw it as a perfect opportunity to try to get to know her better – if she would actually overcome her shyness and talk to him.

He casually approached her, then he knelt down beside the table. "Hey, Maddy. Do you remember me? I'm Jackson, your mom's friend," he greeted her. The 3-year old briefly looked at him before she started scribbling again. Pointing at the tiny, red plastic chair on the opposite side of the table, he smiled at her. "Is it okay if I sit here?"

Madison shyly nodded her head, barely making eye contact with Jackson. After he squeezed himself onto the small chair, she noticed the splint on his hand. "What's dat?" she quietly asked and pointed at the black and white splint.

"Oh, this?" The pretty man pushed up his jacket sleeve and showed her the rest of his splint. "I uhh… I got this really big ouchie and this is helping it feel better."

"Ouchie hurt?"

"Not right now." Jackson tapped his finger against the top of his right hand. "See? Doesn't hurt. Here, you give it a whack. It won't hurt at all."

Madison reached across the table and slapped her hand against Jackson's splint. He kept a straight face, but it actually stung more than he anticipated. She continued to stare at his broken hand. "Mama fix dat?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Your mom fixed my hand." He didn't want to lie to a freaking 3-year old, but one lie couldn't hurt. She appeared to be warming up to him now. There was a snack sized bag of Oreos sitting on the edge of the table. "Are those your cookies?"

She slowly nodded before she pushed the bag towards him. "Open, pease."

Jackson carefully ripped the bag open, then he picked up an Oreo. "Hey, want to help me twist this open? You know, if you get the side with the white icing that means you win. It also means you're princess for the day." He held out the cookie in front of Madison. "Want to see if you're princess for the day?"

The little girl nodded eagerly and grabbed her half of the cookie. After they twisted it apart, she grinned widely when she got the side with the icing. "I pwincess for da day!" she excitedly said.

With some luck, Jackson dug through a nearby toy chest and pulled out a plastic crown. "And you can't be a princess without a crown," he added, gently placing it on Madison's head. She had the cutest dimple on her face when she smiled just like April. It was impossible to dislike the kid. "I wish I had a crown too."

Madison stood up and ran to the toy chest while she ate her Oreo. She pulled out a Viking hat and showed it to Jackson. "You wear dis," she ordered.

He lowered his head and let her place the hat on top. "How does it look?" he asked, striking a pose. She giggled in response as she sat down in her seat again. "Are you laughing at me? Do I look silly to you?"

"You silly!" she teased.

"Oh… my God." Jackson whipped his head towards the voice coming from the entrance of the daycare center where Izzie stood. She leaned against the doorway with her arms folded and a delightful grin on her face. "Jackson Avery playing with a child? Is the apocalypse approaching?"

"She's not just any child," he replied defensively. After he removed the hat from his head, he put it back in the toy chest and lightly patted Madison's head. "I have to go now. Thanks for the Oreo, Maddy. Oh, I mean, _Princess_ Maddy."

"Bye, Doc Jacks'n," the adorable redhead chirped and waved at him.

Izzie softly giggled as Jackson met her in the hallway. "How freaking cute is that little girl? Ugh, I want to pinch her cheeks." She playfully elbowed her friend's side. "Someone's warming up to the idea of kids."

"_Kid_. Just one kid," he corrected her. "And she's April's. If I'm going to be in a relationship with her, that includes Maddy and what can I say? She's… words you can openly say that I feel stupid saying."

"Cute, adorable, lovable, a bundle of joy?" the OB listed on her fingers as they walked through the hallway. "You really are making an effort to change for April. So if you two hadn't met when you were thirteen, would you be trying this hard to be with her?"

Jackson shrugged. Without their past history, he would have given up on attempting to sleep with her. "Probably not, but since that's not the case I'm willing to make changes for a woman I really like. Now, I just need to get my mother off my back. She's here and she brought a woman for me." He rolled his eyes. "And she had the indecency to mention that this woman may be ovulating."

"Seriously?" Izzie chuckled loudly. "You've told me stories about your mother before, but I think this is by far the most peculiar one. She brought you a woman, so you can knock her up?"

"And I'm not sure how much she told this urologist about me, but she sounded very interested… in my body at least," he bitterly answered. In the past, that type of woman was who he slept with on a daily basis. "I don't want to be _that_ guy anymore."

"Do you want me to kick this woman's ass?" the blonde doctor offered. "Or better yet, just introduce your mom to April. That'll scare off the urologist she brought here."

Jackson shook his head. "I can't do that. Even though April wants to meet my psycho mother, it's too soon. We only started officially dating three days ago."

"Oh, and being set up to impregnate a woman you just met isn't?"

"I highly doubt my mom was serious about that. Well, she could've been half-serious, but she knows better than to assume I would actually knock someone up after the first encounter."

"Who says you haven't?" Izzie humorously said, drawing a scowl from Jackson. "You've slept with a ton of women. It amazes me that not one woman has approached you to break the news that you fathered their baby."

He raised his hand and grimaced. "Please, Iz. Don't even joke about that. I've had a few scares here and there, but fortunately, I'm nobody's baby daddy… I hope." Rounding the corner of the hallway, he spotted Catherine and Reed talking to April. "Crap, what is she doing?"

"Bonding with your mother, apparently," she pointed out. They watched the two urologists laugh and smile at whatever April was talking about. "See? April's fine. She seems to be getting along with her."

"That's how they all start," he muttered, recalling the past girlfriends Mama Avery eventually scared off. Jackson approached the threesome with Izzie trailing behind. He stopped next to April, interrupting their conversation. "So how many of my coworkers have you questioned about me?"

Catherine grasped her son's cheeks and grinned. "There you are, baby. You know Grayson's running around the hospital at the moment searching for you." She pulled away before nodding her head towards Izzie. "And who is this beautiful woman behind you? Is this your girlfriend? I knew you always favored the blonde ones."

Izzie held out her hand. "Isobel Stevens. It's an honor to meet you," she cheerfully introduced herself, shaking the elder Avery's hand. "Oh, and not his girlfriend. Just friends. Purely friends. Actually, I'm like his parole officer. I keep him in check."

"Well, can you help him get rid of his friend, Alex? That man is a menace to society," she complained and shared a laugh with the OB. "Are you single, Dr. Stevens? Because some relationships bloom from friendships and I need me some grandbabies from this boy."

"Ma…" Jackson groaned. "Your meddling has been tiresome since I was eighteen. Give it a rest."

"If you're not going to grow out of your immature lifestyle, somebody has to knock sense into you," Catherine argued. "You are a 33-year old man and you need to start acting like one. You're never going to find your future wife jumping from one woman to another every night."

April nervously laughed as she pointed at a random direction. "I think this is time for me to go check on my patients," she politely excused herself.

"No, wait." Jackson grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. He originally didn't plan on introducing April as the woman he was dating, but his mother's nagging sparked a change of heart. "Mom, I haven't been sleeping around because I'm seeing Dr. Kepner- I mean, April. I'm dating April. And if you say anything inappropriate to her, I swear to God-"

"Why didn't you just tell me this earlier?" the urologist calmly asked, smiling at the couple.

"Because you aren't the greatest at making women I date feel comfortable," he bluntly replied. "And April is somebody I don't want you scaring off after five minutes of interaction."

April gazed up at Jackson, impressed by how quickly he defended himself against his mother. She was also surprised he changed his mind about keeping their relationship a secret. And it was an awkward situation with Izzie smiling gleefully and Reed shooting dirty looks at her direction. Someone was jealous of her. That didn't happen often for her, considering she had previously been with one man for over a decade.

She sheepishly grinned at Catherine. "I guess I left out that minor detail about myself when we met."

Mama Avery squealed and placed a kiss on April's forehead, catching her off-guard. "And this just means I will have to extend my stay in Seattle. I think a week is enough time for me to learn more about your girlfriend, dear," she boastfully said. "Plus, living all alone in that condo of yours? You could use some of your mother's cooking. In fact, sometime next week April should come over for dinner. Actually, no arguments from you two. It's a date for the three of us, period."

Jackson forced a smile as he looked back at April. "Uhh, sounds… great?"

The peds surgeon slowly nodded and softly smiled. "Umm… sure," she reluctantly answered.

There were two other details she hadn't mentioned to Catherine – Madison and her late husband. And they weren't even a serious couple. Suddenly, their relationship was moving at a rapid pace. Perhaps Jackson was right all along about staying away from his mother.

* * *

**Yup, more Mama Avery on the way ;)**


	10. Are You In Love With Her?

**Thanks for the reviews! It's been a while since I updated this fic. Some other fics took priority, but I haven't given up on this one ;) As always, let me know what you think please!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jackson had never been so nervous about having dinner with his mother _and_ his girlfriend at the same time than he was now. Mostly because April already had an idea about how over the top Catherine Avery acted towards his friends and himself. He feared his urologist mother would purposely bring up topics that would make them both uncomfortable – settling down, getting married, giving her more grandchildren. She still wasn't aware of the fact that he and the peds surgeon only started dating recently.

He cared for April more than he ever cared for anybody, but it was too early to tell if she was enough for him to give up his bachelorhood and commit himself to one woman for the rest of his life.

Grayson had returned to Boston, along with a disgruntled Reed, leaving Catherine behind for an entire week to learn more about Jackson and his new significant other. She also took advantage of the facilities at Seattle Grace, scrubbing in with Lexie – and to secretly pry information out of the younger urologist about her best friend. There was one special night reserved for dinner at Jackson's condominium, but Mama Avery always preferred being ahead of the game by doing some research of her own. However, Lexie figured she would be in deep trouble with April if she told Catherine her entire life story, so she only gave out the basics, excluding the details that were too personal for her to share without her friend's permission.

It was a Thursday and Catherine was scheduled to leave in two days, which was a relief for Jackson. He couldn't handle wandering through the hospital knowing his meddling mother was lurking around, making friends with his coworkers who still despised him, despite a slight change in his attitude. And because of his broken hand, he couldn't operate for at least two months. Mark assigned him to boring paperwork, while Arizona forced him to tour medical students daily as his punishment for breaking his hand and damaging hospital property. He was basically an intern all over again.

He hardly had time to be alone with April as well. In addition to dealing with her own surgeries and patients, she continued the process of searching for a place to live and taking care of Madison consumed most of the free time she had, which wasn't much. They hadn't been on a date since their only one the previous week. Also, lack of sex was becoming an issue for him. Only about a month had passed since he last slept with a woman, but for him, it was equivalent to a year.

They hadn't actually talked about it, but Jackson refused to screw up what he had with April by pressuring her to have sex with him. He decided to wait it out and hope for _her_ to make a move. Maybe then sex wouldn't be the huge elephant in the room anymore.

The plastic surgeon sat alone in an on-call room, his back pressed against the wall while he waited for the perky redhead to arrive. He had finished his only tour of the day and sent a text message to April hoping she was free even if it was for five minutes. Their dinner with Catherine was that night, so he wanted to prepare her for any uncomfortable questions that came out of his mother's mouth.

April entered the room, closing the door behind her. She quickly approached Jackson, climbing onto his lap and devouring his mouth before he could formally greet her. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she hungrily kissed him as he smiled against her lips. He certainly wasn't complaining about how turned on he was by her advancement.

"April," he mumbled in between kisses. As much as he enjoyed it, Jackson forced himself to pull away from her. He reminded himself that they were meeting to talk. The making out part – or more – could happen afterwards. "I wasn't expecting that, but… that was so much better than the typical, 'Hello'."

"I thought I'd jump right to the point since you know, we haven't been able to be alone for longer than two minutes lately," she sheepishly replied. "Did you want to talk first?"

He nodded and waited for her to slide off of his lap. "It's about tonight. I'll completely understand if you want to back out because my mom isn't an easy person to please. She seems nice, despite her unfiltered behavior, but she can be picky too. I want her to like you, but she assumes we've been dating for months when that isn't the case."

"But don't you think skipping the dinner would rub her the wrong way? The whole reason for the dinner is so she can get to know me better," she noted. "And as much as she annoys you, she's a world renowned surgeon and I'm interested in her work."

"If she gives you any time to ask her questions about her job," Jackson muttered, smirking at April. "My mom will spend the majority of our time interrogating you about _everything_. Are you ready to tell her about Maddy or Matthew?"

"Well, she should know I have a daughter, who by the way, thinks you're the coolest doctor ever because you apparently taught her some neat Oreo game in which she always wins and is princess for the day. For her, it's every day now," she answered with a chuckle. "And she told me that I did a good job taking care of the ouchie on your hand even though I _didn't_ fix it."

The pretty man grinned as he stared at their intertwined fingers. "I just thought she'd warm up to me faster if I said you fixed my hand. At least she'd know we were friends or whatever. And Maddy's a sweet kid. She takes after her mother."

April bashfully smiled at him. "You don't have to suck up to me anymore," she teasingly said.

"It's not sucking up if it's true," he insisted, gently kissing her temple. "Alright, how about we do a test run of what my mother could possibly ask you? Try not to feel too offended if I ask you incredibly personal questions. I'm only attempting to be her, which is kind of sickening."

"I promise I won't take you too seriously. Go ahead."

"Where are you originally from?"

"Born and raised in Seattle," she calmly answered.

"How many sexual partners have you had?" he asked, slightly grimacing at her as her eyes grew wide. "She's asked this question before. I'm simply warning you, remember?"

April nervously bit her lower lip. She had only been with one person her entire life, which she supposed wasn't terrible considering Jackson seemed to have a new woman to sleep with every night before she arrived. "Y-you know that answer, right?"

"Listen, my mother probably prefers a woman who doesn't sleep around. Don't be embarrassed – albeit it _is_ an embarrassing question to be asked during dinner," he assured her and pointed at himself. "She completely hates that I bounce from woman to woman- I mean, I _used_ to. I haven't been doing that for a while now."

She slowly nodded, staring down at her lap. "So, would you be okay with holding off on sex?"

He raised his eyebrow at her. "For how long exactly?"

"Until marriage," she answered, laughing shortly afterwards at Jackson's stunned reaction. "That was a joke! Get a grip, Jackson. I didn't even wait before I married Matthew."

"Don't scare me like that," he playfully scolded her, letting out a sigh of relief. "But seriously, how long do you want to wait?"

April lightly tapped the splint on his right hand. "Until that baby is off and your bone isn't too fragile for hot and steamy sex," she seductively said, a mischievous grin forming on her face. "And I don't want to sound too cocky, but… I'm _very_ good in bed, at least I think so."

Jackson glanced down at his broken hand, mentally cursing at himself. "Why do you have to torture me like that?" he softly groaned. "But it's just my _hand_ and I only really need one to… do certain things that you'll enjoy very much. And you can be on top all the time. I don't mind at all."

"Your priority is your hand, not sex. You can wait. Besides, aren't you supposed to be prepping me for your mother's questions?"

"You brought up sex first," he argued.

"What? I did not. _You_ did with the sex partners question," she countered, nudging him with her elbow. April rested her head against Jackson's shoulder. "Maybe we should just sit back and see what happens instead of predicting what she'll ask me. I know a thing or two about over the top relatives. Mark can be that way sometimes. Thank goodness he won't be having dinner with us tonight. What a disaster that would be."

Jackson shuddered in response. "If your brother was there, we wouldn't even need my mother to ruin the night for us," he quipped. "Don't be surprised if she brags about my life accomplishments. She wasn't even there for most of them, so it's just a ton of bull coming out of her mouth."

"Tell me about your relationship with her," she inquired, wrapping her arm over his abdomen and cozying up against his side. "I don't have to be anywhere, so talk to me all you want. You two have never been close from what I can tell."

"No," he murmured, shaking his head. "Grayson's her favorite because he's the first born. Harrison received a lot of her attention as well. Me? Shipping me to camp that one summer showed how much she cared. It was always her boyfriends first, then Grayson and Harrison. I got the leftovers, if that makes any sense."

"But you could put it this way – if your mother hadn't sent you to Wazi, we wouldn't have met. Some good came out of that summer, don't you think?" she responded and smiled. "Without that summer connecting us, it probably would've taken me much longer to warm up to… well, your definition of charm."

Jackson pressed his forehead against April's, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He admired how she always managed to say something to make him feel better about himself. She was the reason why he hadn't gone into a deep depression while he was at summer camp with zero friends to hang out with. Her presence felt like camp all over again because his peers despised him, but for different reasons, which he could only blame himself for.

She seemed to be the only person who ever tried to see the good in him and understand his insecurities.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 32_

_Aiming his bow and arrow at the target thirty yards away from him, Jackson pinched one eye shut as he focused on the yellow bullseye in front of him. Since expanding his interests amongst the various activities to do at camp, he quickly fell in love with archery. It brought out the perfectionist in him. Most of the campers' lone goal was to hit any part of the target, but he always wanted to nail the bullseye. Not only could he hit the bullseye but he did it consistently. His secret?_

_He imagined the bullseye was The Hawk's face. Worked every time. So much that the instructor on hand was forced to move back his target. Fifteen and twenty yards were too easy for him. Plus, archery was an individual sport. No worrying about being left out like in basketball and flag football. And in archery, he could soak in all of the glory without sharing it with anyone else._

_Pulling the bowstring back, Jackson's tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he held his bow as steady as possible. Just as he was ready to fire his arrow, a voice on the PA system disrupted his concentration and he sent the arrow high up into the sky, probably high enough to shoot a bird flying too low._

_"Jackson Avery, please report to the director's office immediately."_

_Crap. It was the first time his real last name was broadcasted to the entire camp. April and other campers knew him as Jackson Fox. If somebody like April were to spot him heading to the camp director's office, she would likely wonder why he changed his last name. Although, that wasn't his biggest worry. Why was he being called into the director's office to begin with?_

_Did someone rat him out for something he didn't do? Was The Hawk being an asshole by reporting him for their small quarrel in which he punched him in the nuts? Did that weasel George try to get him kicked out of camp because he was dating April?_

_He was a nervous wreck. His mother would be livid if an Avery was booted from camp. Getting expelled from anything was unbecoming of an Avery – not that he had done much that lived up to the expectations of his family name. Grayson and Harrison were popular in high school as members of various sports teams and academic societies. His oldest brother was on his way to Harvard. The Ivy League university was always at the top of every Avery's list because their grandfather had created a legacy at the medical school. There was no doubt in his mind that Harrison would follow Grayson's footsteps and he too hoped to join them at the prestigious college._

_Anything outside of Harvard and one was considered a failure._

_Walking into the director's office, he was greeted by Mike, the head of Waziyatah. "You wanted to see me, sir?" the anxious nerd asked._

_"Yes. Don't worry. You're not in trouble, Jackson," he assured him. "Your mother's on the phone."_

_"My mom?" Jackson replied in disbelief. He was certain Catherine would be too busy touring Europe to even send him a postcard. Maybe she wasn't so neglectful after all. "Did something bad happen?"_

_"No, no. She's just checking up on you," Mike insisted and pointed to the phone on his desk. "Go ahead. I'll give you some privacy, son."_

_Taking a seat behind Mike's desk, Jackson picked up the receiver and held it against his ear. "Hello? Mom?" He listened to his mother ramble about how beautiful Barcelona was without giving him a chance to speak. As he expected, Mama Avery made it about herself more than asking him how he was doing at camp._

_By the time she changed the subject to him, five minutes of his mother bragging about her trip had passed. "Camp is great. Umm… yeah, made a lot of friends. I'm fitting in well," he half-heartedly answered. "I uhh, I even have a girlfriend. Her name's A- oh, you have to go now? Okay. Yeah, love you too. Bye, Mom."_

_He hung up the phone with a frown on his face. His conversations with Catherine on the phone didn't differ much from his talks with her in person. He considered himself lucky if she listened to him for more than two minutes. Sometimes he pondered running away from home. Being born and raised in a wealthy family had its perks, but none of that made Jackson happy. He just wanted to feel loved by his mother for once._

_Walking out of the cabin, Jackson removed his glasses to quickly wipe away the tears forming in his eyes. His mother's phone call ruined what he considered to be a good day for him. No run-ins with The Hawk or annoying encounters with George. The only thing missing from his day was April, whose days became busier after being casted in Wazi's musical production of Grease._

_He decided to wait for her outside of the gymnasium where her rehearsals took place. Lying flat on his back on one of the benches, Jackson quietly watched the clouds above him pass by. He began to doze off until a familiar perky voice woke him up._

_"Were you waiting for me?" April chirped, grinning down at her boyfriend._

_"Yeah. Is that okay or do you have to be someplace else?" he murmured._

_"No, I'm glad you showed up," she happily responded, sitting on the bench and pulling his head onto her lap. "This just means you're a really sweet boyfriend. What were you doing before you showed up?"_

_"Umm… some archery, then my mom surprisingly called. I wish she hadn't," he glumly replied. "All she did was tell me about her stupid trip and practically wanted to hang up when I tried to talk about how camp was. She doesn't deserve being called Mom when she hardly acts like one."_

_April ran her fingers through the short, dark curls that had grown on the top of Jackson's head. "Aww, don't be so harsh. It's much later in Europe, right? Maybe she had a long day and she's tired."_

_He shook his head. "My mother is a night owl. I doubt she was tired. I'm starting to think I was an accident, like I wasn't supposed to be born or whatever," he dejectedly added._

_"C'mon, that's probably not true. She's just taking you for granted, that's all. I umm… I kind of know how that feels. I'm much closer to my dad."_

_"At least you have one. Want to adopt me?" he sheepishly asked._

_The redhead giggled in response. "Wouldn't that be weird, though? You can't be my boyfriend and my sort of brother at the same time. How about you have Lexie's family adopt you, so we can stay boyfriend-girlfriend?" she suggested. "She did bring up the idea before and her dad is cool too."_

_Jackson sadly smiled at April. "Are you gonna be bummed when camp is over?"_

_"Yeah," she sighed. "I mean, I'm always bummed when camp is over because I have too much fun here, but I'll miss you. If you say you won't miss me too, I'm gonna have my older brother beat you up."_

_"I get beat up enough by The Hawk," he scoffed, sharing a laugh with her. "Anyway, I will miss you. You're pretty much my best friend here and I'm not afraid to admit my best friend's a girl."_

_"We won't forget about each other, right?"_

_"Never," he confidently said._

* * *

"Avery!" Mark called out to his attending when he spotted him in the hallway. The plastic surgeon appeared eager to see his injured coworker as he approached him with a smile on his face. "I've got a question for you. What type of wine does your mother drink? Red? White? Anything?"

"Uhh, she drinks about anything, I guess. Sometimes I think she may have a drinking problem," Jackson quipped, smiling to himself. His boss simply stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'd like to bring a little something over for dinner and-"

The pretty man raised his hand in front of his chest. "Hold on a minute. _You're_ coming over for dinner too?" he asked irritably. Dealing with Catherine alone was already worrisome, but now Mark freaking Sloan was joining them to make the event even more dreadful. "Since when? And does April know this?"

Mark placed his hands on his hips, proudly grinning at Jackson. "Your mother invited me after we had a lovely conversation about you over lunch. She insisted I join you after she learned that your dear girlfriend is also _my_ sister. Oh, and I'm your boss," he boasted. "I haven't seen her yet, but she'll know eventually. I'll be driving her to your place after all."

"Sloan, I am literally begging you right now – please, don't fuck me over because you can't stand me. Think about April first. She doesn't deserve this, alright? She really wants to be on my mother's good side and I care about her more than you assume," he pleaded. "Oh, and just because I know you were The Hawk now it doesn't mean I'm letting that slide, so if you screw this dinner up, I'll be coming for you."

"You don't intimidate me, especially with that messed up hand of yours. And let me remind you how stupid you are for breaking it in the first place. You've already missed out on some damn good surgeries because you can't operate," the older surgeon rebuked. He lightly patted Jackson's cheek before he walked past him. "See you at dinner, Dweebles."

_Dweebles_. If his hand wasn't already broken, Jackson wouldn't have hesitated to sucker punch Mark for calling him that name. Maybe he would get suspended or even fired for it, but he felt he owed his former bully a ton of payback for the unnecessary crap he put him through. And he was even more annoyed that Catherine invited him to dinner. At least he knew he wouldn't be the only person upset about the decision.

* * *

Standing outside of Jackson's condominium door, April grabbed Mark's hand before he could ring the doorbell. "Let's set some ground rules first," she demanded. "One, no telling them embarrassing stories about me or I swear to God, I will kill you. Two, no smart ass comments about Jackson to his mother or I swear to God, I will kill you. Three, if you say anything that sabotages my relationship with Jackson, I swear to God-"

"You'll kill me," her stepbrother finished the sentence for her, rolling his eyes. "I got it. You honestly think I'm here to make your life miserable?"

"Yes," she sternly replied with her arms folded. After Mark surprised her with the news that he was having dinner with the Avery's as well, April imagined the night ending two ways – semi-disastrous or completely disastrous. "Don't be an asshole, Mark."

He snickered and pointed at himself. "It's not like I snaked my way into this dinner. Catherine politely asked me and I couldn't turn her down. She's freaking Catherine Avery. Seattle Grace is lucky to have her presence in our hospital. If I wanted to push it, Lexie would be here too since she's the urologist in the family."

She sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. "Fine, fine. How do I look?" the peds surgeon asked as she glanced down at her royal blue, sleeveless dress. Her auburn hair was slightly curled and she wore bright red lipstick for Jackson. It wasn't often she was able to dress up for him. "This is okay, right? Not too fancy?"

"Uhh, sure," Mark muttered.

"I'm serious! Just tell me if I look good or not."

"You're my sister. I don't like looking at you in that way."

April groaned in frustration, stepping in front of Mark to ring the doorbell. She adjusted her hair and smiled when Jackson answered the front door. "Hi, we're here," she cheerfully greeted him, briefly skimming her boyfriend's attire. He wore a white dress shirt to go with his black slacks.

His eyes scanned her outfit, stopping at her cleavage. "You look… so beautiful."

"Quit staring at her boobs, Avery," Mark bluntly responded.

Jackson cleared his throat and allowed his guests into his home. "Umm, come in." He avoided eye contact with his boss as he walked past him. After he closed the door, he awkwardly smiled at April. "Sorry. You just look really stunning. I couldn't help myself."

The redhead bounced onto her tip toes and kissed him deeply. She let out a soft moan just to spite Mark, who turned his back towards them. Pulling away from Jackson, she could feel the warmth on her cheeks. "I don't mind," she softly replied.

"With the way you just kissed me, I really wish it was only the two of us tonight," he whispered into her ear, making her giggle. Taking her hand into his, he led the two siblings into his living room. Catherine was in the kitchen preparing dinner. "So, this is my home and that golden statue by the stove is my mother."

April held back her laugh as she noticed Mama Avery's outfit – a long, gold top accompanied by tight, black pants and very high stiletto heels. Both she and Mark exchanged brief glances knowing their mother would never wear anything like that.

"Hello, you two!" Catherine left her spot in the kitchen to greet them. She hugged each of them, then pointed at the dining table using the spatula in her hand. "Make yourselves comfortable because dinner's almost ready. Or my baby boy can give you a tour, but there's not much touring to do in Jackson's condo. He practically lives in an expensive box."

Mark handed Catherine a bottle of wine. "This is for you, Dr. Avery. The best in Seattle, I guarantee you," he assured her. "Need an extra hand in the kitchen?"

"Thank you for the offer, Dr. Sloan. I could use some help bringing the food over to the table," she politely accepted. "At least you had the courtesy to ask if I needed help. Jackson just sat around on the couch watching his Boston Celtics. Can't even assist his mama in the kitchen."

"I appreciate the love, Mom," the younger Avery sarcastically said.

"I would really love a tour," April chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. "Show me around, Jackson."

Jackson softly chuckled. There wasn't much to show her except for his bedroom, but he figured Mark would kick his ass if he brought her in there alone. Then again, his superior was distracted by Catherine, who dragged him into the kitchen. Without wasting any time, he walked April to his bedroom and turned on the light.

"This is where the magic happens," he jokingly bragged.

April playfully slapped his arm and laughed. "You're a dork." She walked towards his giant window to observe the nightly view of downtown Seattle. "This is pretty. A little scary, but pretty."

Jackson stood beside her. "One of the reasons why I chose to move into this building."

"Do you ever feel lonely living here?"

"When I first moved here I didn't. There was a different woman here every night, so I wasn't technically lonely. And the majority of my days are spent at the hospital, so this place is mainly for sleeping and… sex," he guiltily answered. "But I haven't been-"

"I know. I trust you, Jackson." April turned her head and smiled at him. "Do you want to do something this weekend with Maddy? I think it'd be cool to do something together since she seems to be comfortable around you. Maybe the zoo?"

"I hear the zoo is nice," he said, smirking at her. "I've never been because who goes to the zoo by themselves? I mean, I could've gone with Karev, but that's just weird. Plus, he probably would have tried hitting on any single moms lurking around."

"So, is that a yes?"

Jackson leaned forward, gently kissing April's lips. "Definitely a yes." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest. "I hope you won't hold whatever my mom says tonight against me."

"Well, I hope you won't do the same when it comes to Mark."

They heard a light knock on the door where Mark stood in the doorway. He had one hand covering his eyes, fearing he would walk into a scene he preferred not to witness. "Dinner's ready, so stop making out like teenagers and come out now."

April rolled her eyes as her brother returned to the living room. "Here we go," she sighed, leaving the bedroom with Jackson. They took their seats at the dining table and she inhaled the aroma of the food Catherine prepared. "Everything smells so good, Dr. Avery."

"Oh, honey. Call me Catherine," the urologist corrected her. "If you and Jackson are going to give me grandbabies one day, we may as well acknowledge each other on a personal level."

"Grandbabies," she murmured, picking up her wine glass and emptying it immediately. Clearing her throat, she poured herself more wine. "H-how soon are you expecting those to happen?"

"When are you ovulating?" she asked, laughing loudly at April's shocked expression. "Calm down, dear. I'm just messing with you. You've got to marry Jackson first, then the babies can follow. When are you going to pop the question to her, baby?"

Mark chuckled to himself while he served himself some salad. "Good question. You two have been together for how long now? Feels like a year, but I bet it's only really been a _week_," he implied. "I say take all the time you need, Avery."

Jackson forced himself to grin at Catherine. "Actually, we haven't been dating very long. April just relocated back here from Cleveland in February," he admitted.

"That wasn't too long ago," his mother noted. "So, what made you decide to come home?"

April drank more wine before she responded. "Umm… personal matters. My uhh- I'm a widow," she hesitantly said, taking another sip. "C-cancer. My husband died from pancreatic cancer in January."

Mark stared at his sister worriedly. She poured herself a third glass of wine, then he moved the bottle away from her when she set it down. "It was a difficult situation and with most of her family in Seattle, she needed to be around that," he intervened. "She's had a lot of support since she came home."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Catherine sympathetically replied. "Any children?"

"Yes," April timidly answered. "Madison. She's three and adores Jackson."

"Really?" Mark asked skeptically, turning his attention towards his coworker. "I haven't seen you interact with her and that one night you babysat doesn't count because she wouldn't even look at you."

Jackson furrowed his eyebrows and decided to change the subject. "Hey, Mom. Do you remember that camp you sent me to when I was thirteen? Well, Mark was a counselor there and he kicked my ass on a daily basis," he blurted out.

"Dweebles- I mean, Jackson was dating my sister. I had a reason to beat him up," the other man argued.

"You didn't even know I was dating April at the time," he retorted.

While the two plastic surgeons bickered back and forth, April quietly sat in her seat drinking more wine. Whenever a situation was uncomfortable for her, she used alcohol to relax herself. Nobody seemed to care that she snatched back the bottle because Catherine was too distracted by Mark and Jackson's banters.

"That is enough! For crying out loud, you're both acting like children," Catherine scolded the two men. She pointed her finger at Jackson. "You have guests in your home, so start showing some respect."

"Me show some respect? Are you kidding me?" Jackson shook his head in disgust. "What about you, Mom? Bringing me a woman to Seattle, so I can knock her up? Because that's what a normal mother does for her son."

"I thought you were single and I figured introducing you to a potential wife was necessary."

"Well, I didn't need your help. I have April, okay?" He gazed over at his girlfriend, who covered her mouth as she giggled. "And… she's drunk."

Mark groaned. "Oh, geez." He reached for her wine glass and took it away from her. "How about we get you some water? I'm sorry, you guys. She doesn't drink a lot and she only ever does when she's nervous."

April dismissively waved her hand. "Pshh! Drunk schmunk. I feel fine," she stated, reaching for Jackson's dress shirt. She sloppily began unbuttoning it while she started singing, "It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes…"

"Ah, no. Not right now." Jackson grabbed her hands and moved them away. He looked across the table at Catherine and Mark. "For the record, we are _not_ having sex."

"Thank God," the other plastic surgeon mumbled to himself. Mark jumped up from his seat when his inebriated sister fell out of her chair. He grimaced as Jackson helped her up from the floor. "She'll regret this in the morning."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Mark assisted April into his car in the underground parking garage of the building. Jackson and Catherine watched nearby as the peds surgeon blew kisses at their direction. Her boyfriend waved back at her with a forced smile.

"That's a side of her I've never seen before," he said before looking at his mother with a sheepish grin on his face. "So, how do you like her?"

Mama Avery briefly waved Mark goodbye and watched him drive away. "She's… unusually adorable when she's intoxicated," she answered. The rest of their dinner consisted of April giggling at almost every statement while they tried to eat and have a normal conversation. She hoped she could have learned more about the sober April Kepner. "Although, I'm sure her brother nor I were interested in her favorite position in bed."

"Something for me to take note of when I have sex with her?" He laughed when she smacked his shoulder. "But seriously, what do you think? She was really nervous about tonight, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Well, based on my impressions of April when she's sober, she's quite a sweetheart. And she was your first girlfriend?"

Jackson nodded as they walked towards the elevator. "I never thought I'd see her again. It's like we were both given a second chance." He pushed the button and smiled at his mother. "I feel like a better person when I'm around her."

Catherine tapped her fingers against her baby boy's shoulder. "Jackson Avery, are you in love with her?" she asked, widely grinning back at him.

He pursed his lips and fought back a smile. "It's too early for that, Mom. I mean, _really_ early. We've only started officially dating a week ago."

"But it's clear to me that she was always somebody who was important to you, back when you were naïve teenagers," she insinuated. "I think you've been in love with April since the first time you laid your eyes on her. You just didn't know it yet. Who understands love at thirteen?"

"We're not talking about this anymore," he replied, shyly ducking his head as he stepped into the elevator.

Catherine let out a giddy shriek while she followed him inside. She continued to grin, despite Jackson avoiding eye contact with her. "I may not have been the greatest mother to you, baby, but I know when my boy's in love."

"Can we please drop it now?"

"Not until you admit it."

Jackson simply shook his head as he walked out of the elevator when it reached his floor. "You like her, right?" he deflected the subject back to his original question. "You won't surprise me with another woman whenever you unexpectedly visit again?"

"Of course I like her. She makes you happy – and because you love her," she teased, cackling when he groaned as they entered his condominium. "Groan all you want. You can't fool your mama."


	11. What's Dat?

**Hello, to anybody still following this! Sorry for taking long to update. I'm still dedicated to this fic, I promise! I hope you'll forgive me by leaving a review lol :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"X-rays show your fracture is healing smoothly, Avery. Your hand still has to be in a splint for another three weeks, though," Callie reported as she stared at Jackson's hand x-rays on the wall. It had been three weeks since he broke his pretty hand and it was his first follow up appointment. "On a scale from one to ten, how's the pain level right now?"

Jackson gingerly opened and closed his hand. The ortho surgeon instructed him to begin small motion exercises to ease away the stiffness in his joints after it had been positioned in a splint for the past three weeks. "I'd say about a four, but that's mostly due to the stiffness in my ring and pinky fingers," he answered, slightly wincing at his hand. "So if this continues to heal without any complications, how soon can I operate again?"

Callie sat across from the plastic surgeon at a table and examined his hand. "You're still a month or two away," she answered, listening to her coworker curse under his breath. "Of all things you could've fractured, you chose your _hand_. For somebody who takes pride in being a perfectionist, it continues to baffle me how stupid you acted when you decided to punch a vending machine."

"I was upset. And yeah, I'll admit I shouldn't have damaged my hand the way I did, but I learned my lesson. You and everyone else can stop pestering me about it," he irritably replied. Jackson glanced down at his lap. He and his companion below had been experiencing withdrawals and until his hand was healed, April wasn't putting out for him. "It's just going to be you and me for a while, bro."

"Are you talking to your penis?" Callie blankly stared at the pretty man, who sheepishly looked back at her. "Oh my God, you're talking to your penis. You two must be awfully close – not that I want to know the details."

He rolled his eyes. "April's been teasing me like I'm a guy without needs," he complained, holding up his injured hand. Staring at it, he shook his head and sighed. "Seriously, man. You gotta heal faster. You're the reason why April refuses to open her legs for me."

"You know, you do have another hand if you're _that_ horny," the Latina woman jokingly reminded him. "And stop talking to your body parts in front of me. It's disturbing and inappropriate. Plus the more you talk about April and sex, the more I want to castrate you in your sleep. Relationships should be based on respect, communication, trust. Sex can wait. A guy like you needs to practice abstinence since you're practically a sexaholic."

"I'm not a sexaholic," Jackson defensively said. "I just have- _had_ a lot of sex with women who wanted to have sex with me, but I'm done with that. I'm not a single man anymore, so I'm going to act that way."

Callie smirked at her coworker. "Who are you and where is the real Jackson Avery?" she skeptically questioned.

The biggest playboy in the hospital remaining faithful to _one_ woman? Shocking.

"I'm right here. Shouldn't you people be thankful I'm trying to change?" he retorted, wincing when she slowly bent his ring finger for him. "I mean, most of you have hated me since I arrived. I realized I have to make changes if I want any respect from you."

"So, what sets April apart from the millions of women you slept with in the past?" she quipped, drawing an eye roll from Jackson. "Okay, on a serious note now. Is it because she was your epic first summer love?"

"She tries to see me as a whole person, not just a hot piece of ass. My mother likes her – both the sober and drunk versions of her," Jackson explained and softly laughed. "If Catherine Avery actually approves of the woman I'm dating, then I'm doing something right. We almost never agree on anything. And yeah, meeting her at summer camp was a factor. I liked her a lot then and I like her a lot now."

The ortho surgeon smiled at him. "Heard you were completely different back then. I would pay money to see what you looked like when you were thirteen," she chuckled. "Got any pictures lying around?"

He pursed his lips, shaking his head. "They're not for your eyes or anyone else's to see."

"Why are you so ashamed of what you used to look like? So you weren't born pretty. Big deal, Avery," Callie scoffed. "April certainly didn't think you were worthless then."

"Throughout my childhood and half of my teenage years, I was beat up on and made fun of. My life sucked more than you can imagine. Mark kicked my ass almost every day at camp for no reason at all," Jackson bitterly replied. "He should consider himself lucky that I haven't punched his face in for all of the crap he put me through."

"I highly doubt you have the balls to punch your boss, let alone your girlfriend's brother," she nonchalantly countered, smirking at him. "You and Mark are just gonna have to find a way to get along for April. Yeah, he can be a total ass like you, but he's a family man. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him if you ever decide to start one of your own."

Jackson smiled to himself. "I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea. Maddy's not a brat. I wouldn't mind taking care of her." He looked up to see Callie raising her eyebrow at him as a grin formed on her face. His eyes widened as he realized he blurted out information he wasn't ready to share yet. "You didn't hear anything!"

"You're in love with her! You've got daddy feelings for Maddy because you're falling in love with Kepner," she excitedly stated.

"Shut up, shut up! Just give me a new splint, so I can get back to work," he responded agitatedly, scowling at Callie as she giggled with glee. The plastic surgeon hadn't been entirely sure how he felt about April. His mother tried to figure him out, but he refused to budge. "If you tell Mark or anyone else-"

"Calm your balls, Avery. I'm not _that_ obsessed with your love life," she chuckled. "I think it's cute. She's clearly into you and couldn't care less about your douchey side."

"But she's probably still in love with her husband," Jackson dejectedly replied.

"I think she always will, but that doesn't mean she can't be in love with someone else," Callie assured him. "Don't feel discouraged. You're one of the most confident people here, sometimes _too_ confident. However, this is one of those moments when you want to be."

After being fitted into a new splint for his hand, the two surgeons parted ways and Jackson decided to search for April. He found her in the daycare center with Madison. In the past, he never thought twice about walking inside. He casually entered the room and approached the two redheads.

"How's the little princess today?" he greeted them, sitting down beside April on the floor.

Madison bashfully smiled back at him. "Hi, Doc Jacks'n." She gave Jackson a high five when he raised his left hand in front of her and laughed when he acted like it hurt.

April kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "Your arrival is perfect timing because I need a favor. As you know, I'm moving into my new apartment this weekend, so what do you think about babysitting Maddy for the day?" she inquired. Jackson simply stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, I know you wanted to help me move, but you've only got one good hand."

"So? I can carry boxes with my other arm alone," he insisted. "And what about Mark or your parents?"

"My parents are in Portland for the weekend. Also, Kylie has been sick with some bug since yesterday and I don't want Maddy to catch it, while Lexie watches her at home. And I already have help from Mark, George and Alex-"

"_Karev_?" Jackson was surprised April had asked Alex to help her move, maybe even more surprised that his wingman actually agreed. He never spent his days off doing favors for women unless he was receiving sex in return. "What did you promise him?"

"Promise him?" She softly laughed. "I didn't promise him anything. I asked Mark to force him to help me because I needed more muscle for the heavier stuff. And no offense to George, but he's not the strongest guy out there."

He guffawed. She chose wimpy George over him? "Well, no offense either, but I'm positive I can carry heavier loads with one arm than he can with two. Why can't he babysit instead?"

April smiled at Madison. "Hey, Maddy. Would you like to spend Saturday with Doctor Jackson?" she cheerfully asked her daughter. The 3-year old nodded eagerly. "Good because he wants to spend the day with you too."

"The Maddy card is unfair," Jackson stated through gritted teeth while he grinned at Madison.

"But you're such a sweet and caring boyfriend that I know you don't mind at all," she teasingly responded. April leaned close to Jackson's ear and whispered, "Do this for me and perhaps you'll get something really, really good out of it. I hope you're a fan of lacy panties."

_Freaking tease_. The plastic surgeon used all of his will power _not_ to think about his girlfriend in skimpy, lacy underwear. Plus, getting aroused in the daycare center would be very bad for a variety of reasons. Now he hated his broken hand even more.

"Fine, but you better be serious about what you just told me," he agreed, smirking at her. "And no more teasers from you too. I have feelings and you cut them pretty deep sometimes with your teasing."

"Oh, suck it up and be a big boy," she quipped.

"Yeah! Suck it up and be big boy!" Madison partially mimicked April, drawing laughs from the two surgeons.

April playfully shook her finger at Jackson. "You heard the princess. I'll drop her off at your place by ten, okay? And I'll be sure to bring along some toys to keep her occupied." She linked elbows with him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for doing this."

He couldn't feel upset about being stuck with babysitting. If he wanted to stay in a relationship with her, bonding with Madison was a requirement as well. Maybe she wasn't too young to be converted into a Boston Celtics fan, he thought.

* * *

The doorbell rang at exactly ten o'clock in the morning. Jackson had been awake since seven, squeezing in a run and hitting the gym prior to his babysitting date with Madison. He was dressed in a crimson Harvard tank top and white basketball shorts as he opened the front door. April held her daughter's hand, while carrying a pink gym bag – likely filled with toys – in her other hand.

"Hi, Doc Jacks'n!" Madison squeaked, excitedly waving at the much taller man standing in front of her.

He laughed at her enthusiasm because his condominium was far from a children's play zone, but thankfully, the bag of toys would be his lifesaver. Picking up the tiny human with his left arm, he greeted April with a kiss afterwards. "Somebody's full of energy today."

"She just had breakfast before we got here, so she's completely awake right now. Maddy usually naps after lunch," the peds surgeon explained as she walked inside. "You're totally fine doing this, right? I'm not sure how long it will take to move everything into my apartment and arrange the furniture."

"Don't worry. I got this. We'll play with her toys, go to the park, watch some Elmo." Jackson slightly furrowed his eyebrows. "What channel is that on?"

"PBS," she chuckled. April handed him the gym bag. "You can decide what you want to do for lunch, but make sure she doesn't consume anything with peanuts in it. She's allergic. There's an EpiPen in that bag just in case. Umm… don't be afraid to say, 'No', to her. As long as you're nice about it, she'll listen. I guess that's all you need to know."

Jackson set Madison on the couch and turned on the TV. He found _Sesame Street_ and her eyes were immediately glued to the talking puppets on the screen. The children's show was enough of a distraction for him to walk April to the front door. "She won't scream and cry for you like the last time I babysat, right?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No, she's comfortable around you. She'll be alright. If Maddy's not searching for me right now, that's a very good sign." Wrapping her arms around Jackson's waist, she hopped up onto her tip toes to kiss him. "I guess I can stay for another minute."

Of course, he didn't object to the idea. Because they were obstructed from Madison's view, Jackson thought a quick makeout session wasn't inappropriate. He picked April up with his left arm, holding her against the wall and deepening their kiss. She tightly gripped his shoulders and her nails dug into his skin, eliciting a soft groan from the plastic surgeon and he forced himself to pull away.

"If Maddy wasn't here, we would be having hot and dirty sex right now, but since that's not the case we have to stop," he regretfully murmured and set her back down on the floor.

"You're cute when you have to restrain yourself," she teased and laughed as he shook his head in disappointment. "Soon. I promise."

Jackson sighed, then he cupped April's cheeks and smiled. "Okay, but on a serious note, waiting is totally worth it when it comes to you." Kissing her one last time, he opened the door for her. "If it's not too late, maybe we could do dinner here? Without any wine, of course."

The redhead sheepishly grinned at him as she stepped outside. "I will probably never live that night down with your mom. But yeah, I don't mind having dinner with you. I'll call you when we're finished moving and call me if you're having problems with Maddy."

"Like I said, we'll be just fine. See you later." He closed the door and walked back into the living room. "So, Maddy. What is Big Bird teaching you to- gahhh."

His leather couch was empty and Madison was no longer in the living room. Jackson checked behind the couch, even opening the cabinet below his TV. She wasn't hiding underneath the dining table nor was she in the kitchen, so his bedroom was the only room left to check. He let out a sigh of relief when he found the 3-year old standing by his window with her hands pressed against it.

"There you are."

Madison turned around and pointed at his window. "What's dat?"

"That's the window," he answered, squatting down beside her.

"No! Dat!" she said, pointing at the tall buildings of downtown Seattle.

"Oh. That's downtown."

"And dat?" she questioned, this time pointing at the Space Needle.

"That is the famous Space Needle."

She then pointed at a white splatter on his window. "What's dat?"

Jackson scrunched his nose. "That is bird poop… which the window washers have yet to clean up," he responded, feeling slightly disgruntled because it had been there since Wednesday. Turning Madison's body towards him, he smiled. "First rule in my home – no wandering off where Doctor Jackson can't see you. Okay?"

Madison nodded her head. "D'okay."

"C'mon, let's go finish watching your show, then we can get some lunch." He stood up, holding out his left hand. Her tiny hand was engulfed by his as he led her back into the living room.

* * *

Alex grunted as he struggled to carry April's brand new couch up the flight of stairs leading to her apartment. On the opposite end of the couch was George, whose face had turned beet red from exerting all of his energy trying to lift his side. "Dude, O'Malley! Did anybody ever tell you you're supposed to lift with your freaking legs?" he barked. "I feel like I'm trying to carry this couch by myself!"

George pressed his cheek against the couch and grimaced. "I'm trying my best! Back off," he mumbled. When they reached the top both men set the couch down and the trauma surgeon hunched over panting.

His coworker stared at him amused. "Need an oxygen tank, Wheezy?"

Mark stepped out of April's apartment and placed his hands on his hips. "Didn't you two leave to fetch the couch five minutes ago? Weaklings," he taunted. He patted George's shoulder. "You alright, O'Malley? Why don't you go inside and take a break? Karev and I will deal with the rest of the heavy furniture."

Alex dismissively waved his hand. "Yeah, and while you're at it, maybe your balls are in one of April's boxes," he sneered. Mark smacked the back of his head in response and he scowled back at him. "Dude!"

George ignored the obnoxious peds surgeon and entered the apartment. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his t-shirt and retrieved a water bottle from the refrigerator before he met up with April in one of the bedrooms. She was sitting on the floor trying to assemble Madison's bed.

"Need any help?" he offered.

Looking up at her best friend, she smiled. "I can always use help from you, Georgie." He sat down beside her and she couldn't help but laugh at how sweaty he was. "You look like you just took part in a P90X workout."

"I do hit the gym, you know," he retorted. "I'm not as weak as you all assume I am."

"I don't think you're weak. You're super smart and you handle trauma like nobody else can. As cool as a cucumber," April complimented him. "And if Karev's giving you a hard time, just remember he's _Karev_. He's a creep. A helpful creep, but still a creep."

George sipped his water and set the bottle next to him. April was wearing a white tank top and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He stared at her pale arms and snuck a peek at her cleavage. They were the only people in the room, so he thought it was time to finally tell her how he felt. Being in love with his best friend for so long, it was now or never. It didn't matter to him that she was dating Jackson. They weren't serious anyway, he thought.

Screw Jackson Avery. In his mind, the man didn't deserve her. Despite their summer camp history, George couldn't understand why she would date a guy who treated her best friend like crap. It didn't matter to him if the plastics attending was trying to change. Once an asshole, always an asshole. He stole his woman once and he refused to let it happen again.

"Umm, April? I… I've been meaning to tell you something," he reluctantly stated, fanning himself with his t-shirt as the nerves kicked in. "It's important."

April set her screwdriver down and faced George. "What do you want to tell me?" She yelped when he nearly pounced on her trying to kiss her. Jumping up to her feet, she glared down at him. "George! What the hell are you doing?"

He stood up, clearing his throat as he fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt. "I… I love you. I've been in love with you since middle school, April."

She sadly smiled at him. "Oh, Georgie…"

"Just hear me out first, okay? I know I'm not the tallest or the buffest or the most handsome guy in Seattle, but I'm a good person. I don't talk down to people or disrespect them and humiliate them in front of others. We've always known each other well and I'm pretty sure I know you better than anyone else – except for Lexie. Well, maybe Mark too. And there's Libby…" George slapped his forehead and quit rambling. "I can make you happy, so I think you should give me a chance."

April folded her hands, placing them underneath her chin. "I'm with Jackson," she answered with a frown.

"And I don't care. He doesn't love you like I do. He- he only cares about himself," he argued.

"That's not true. He's currently babysitting Maddy. I doubt that means he only cares about himself," she countered. "Yeah, when I first moved back here he was a tool, but he's different now. Jackson's becoming more selfless every day and I admire him for that."

"But I've _always_ been selfless!" George angrily replied. "He may be your boyfriend, but I'm your best friend. We've been best friends since first grade. That should automatically trump your summer fling with Jackson."

"That's not how it works and you know it." April rubbed her temples and dropped her hands by her sides. "George, I love you. I'll always love you, but as a friend. You're like a brother to me-"

He waved his arms in frustration. "No, don't pull the brother card on me. If you're gonna do that, then I'm pulling the Matthew card. If he was still alive, you wouldn't be here and Jackson would've remained a past memory."

She glared at him. "That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is you never giving me a chance at all. Junior high, high school… the list goes on."

"I'm sorry for never reciprocating your feelings. I really am, but it just wasn't meant to be," April guiltily said. Her best friend seemed like he was about to cry and fought his hardest not to break down in front of her. She walked towards him and he took a step back. "Georgie."

"Don't call me, Georgie," he bitterly replied before storming out of the bedroom.

It hadn't been the first time April rejected George's advances, but she never knew his feelings for her were that deep. She had always suspected he crushed on her when they were young, but she thought he had gotten over it as they grew older. His admission reminded her of an awkward moment between them during their summer at Wazi.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 35_

_The campers applauded following Waziyatah's summer production of Grease. Those who participated in the musical held hands and bowed as they received a standing ovation for an entertaining evening. April had been given the role of Frenchy due to her red hair, but she was grateful to be one of the Pink Ladies – and she really wanted to keep the jacket made by the costume team. Walking backstage with a skip in her stride, she spotted George waiting for her nearby._

_"Y-you were great, April," the nerd nervously praised. Since buying her flowers was out of the question, George made her a necklace during an arts and crafts session earlier that day. Mostly made from plastic colored beads, he handed it to her and smiled. "This is an alternate gift for flowers."_

_"Aww, thank you, Georgie!" she acknowledged, giving him a hug. "Was I really great? I'm pretty sure I miscounted my steps during the last song. I hope nobody saw it."_

_He shook his head. "No, you were good. I didn't notice."_

_She wanted to change out of her costume, but he stood in her way and didn't appear to be moving anytime soon. "Is there something else you wanted to talk about? The shirt I'm wearing is itchy and I want to get out of it before I scratch myself to death," she jokingly said._

_George adjusted his glasses and patted his neatly combed hair. "Actually, yes. Umm…" He swayed back and forth with his hands behind his back. "D-do you have a date to the next dance?"_

_"I do. I'm going with Jackson," April cheerfully answered. "I thought you knew that. He's my boyfriend, so it makes sense for him to be my date."_

_"Oh," he unhappily replied. "Well, can't you make an exception just this once? No one else will want to go with me and I don't want to be that loser who doesn't have a date. People here already think I'm a freak because all I wanna do is read books."_

_The redhead grimaced. "I promised Jackson we'd go together like two weeks ago, but… I can save a dance for you, George. Is that okay?"_

_Her best friend slumped his shoulders and stared at his shoes. "I guess," he muttered. "Whatever."_

_"George, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Why don't you go with Lexie?"_

_"I don't wanna go with her. I wanna go with you," he whined._

_"And I said I already have a date. I'm really, really sorry," April sympathetically said. "You know me. I don't like breaking promises. Jackson would be bummed if I suddenly dumped him as my date. He might even dump me period."_

_George turned around and walked away from her. "Have fun at the dance. I'm not going anymore."_

_"Wait a minute! George!" she called out to him, but he ignored her. April groaned, rolling her eyes as she headed for the girls' restroom to change. She figured he would get over it by tomorrow._

* * *

Jackson stirred in his sleep on the couch when the doorbell rang in his condominium. It was a little after 6 PM, but spending most of the day chasing around Madison and playing with her drained his energy. Both of them had fallen asleep on the couch. The little girl beside him was snuggled up against a pillow from his bedroom and sucking her thumb when he woke up.

Slowly pushing himself up from the couch to avoid waking her up, he stretched his arms over his head and yawned as he approached the front door. When he opened it April fought back a laugh as she stared at his face.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to your face? Are you wearing _lipstick_?" she asked in amusement.

"Huh?" The plastic surgeon used the mirror in the guest bathroom to check his face. He had completely forgotten about the messy red lipstick, the pink blush and the glittery eye shadow he sported. "Shit!"

April giggled as she closed the front door. "Care to explain why you look like a contestant from _Toddlers & Tiaras_?"

He rubbed the back of his head and bashfully smiled. "I let Maddy give me a makeover with her tiny makeup kit. Before you got here, we both fell asleep. I was too lazy to wash it off."

"To be honest, you look fabulous. The silvery eye shadow brings out your eyes," she teasingly said. "Now, if you had a wig on, I think you would make for a very beautiful woman."

Jackson rolled his eyes as he grabbed some toilet paper. "I need to get rid of this before my mother unexpectedly arrives or something." April raised her cell phone in front of him and he panicked. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I just want a picture. It's too adorable," she squealed, playfully pouting when he covered her camera with his hand. "C'mon, please? I promise I won't show it to anybody. Maddy would want something to always help her remember her first makeover job."

"I see what you're doing. You do know using your daughter as an excuse all the time is not very motherly of you," he accusingly noted and grinned. "The Maddy card won't work this time around."

April sighed. "Okay, I suppose another two months without sex is what you want…"

Jackson pursed his lips as the peds surgeon smirked back at him. In no way did he consider himself a pushover, but every time the word sex came out of April's mouth, he grew weak. He flashed his charming smile at her. "One picture and we never talk about this again."

She snapped a photo of her boyfriend, laughing at the result. "Alright, you can clean your face and I'll check on Maddy."

After removing all of the makeup from his face, he returned to the living room. April was carefully pulling Madison's thumb out of her mouth. It was a habit she desperately wanted her to stop.

"She behaved all day," Jackson informed her. He walked into his kitchen and opened a cupboard. "Is spaghetti good for dinner?"

"Yeah, that's perfectly fine. Want any help?" she questioned, standing up and joining him in the kitchen.

"Sure. I'll start defrosting the meat and you could start boiling the water," he instructed. "How was moving day for you? Stressful?"

"Actually, it went pretty well until things became awkward with George." April continued to feel bad about rejecting George because he had fled her apartment and never returned. He wouldn't answer her phone calls or text messages either. She just wanted to assure herself he wasn't planning on doing something he would later regret. "He told me he loved me, like he really _loves_ me."

Jackson glanced back at his girlfriend curiously. He wasn't surprised about George's feelings, but he felt slightly apprehensive about how she felt about her best friend. "Do you feel the same way?"

She slowly shook her head. "No. I mean, I care about him a lot because we've known each other forever, but I don't feel that way towards him at all. I told him the truth and he became furious. We were about halfway done moving everything out of the truck and he ditched us," she explained. "Poor guy couldn't handle the truth. I haven't heard from him since."

"O'Malley just needs time to mope or whatever. You didn't do anything wrong," he insisted.

"I know, but I still feel awful for him. If he's been single and lonely this whole time because he was waiting for me… I mean, I doubt he would have admitted any of this to me if Matthew was still alive."

Jackson grimaced as he turned his back towards her. He hadn't heard April talk about Matthew in a while, but hearing his name reminded him that she was a married woman not too long ago. "You still love him, huh?" he murmured. "Obviously, you do. You were together since college."

"Well, yes. I'm sure I always will." April finished filling a pot with water and carried it to the stove. "But I don't think people were meant to be with just one person. Some people are with the same person for the rest of their lives, but that's not true for everybody. There's no written rule that you can't love more than one person."

"I know what you mean." He took a deep breath before he faced her again. "This might sound crazy and I hope this doesn't freak you out, but… I-"

"Mama," Madison's soft voice called out. She had woken up from her nap and was delighted to see April in the kitchen.

April crouched down as her daughter ran towards her. She scooped Madison into her arms, kissing her cheek. "Hey, little princess! Doctor Jackson said you were a good girl today," she gleefully greeted her. Hoisting the 3-year old against her hip, she leaned back against the island counter. "We're gonna have some spaghetti for dinner, then we'll go home to our new apartment. Are you excited to see your new bedroom?"

Jackson slightly smiled as he listened to their mother-daughter conversation. Perhaps the interruption was necessary because April had already received one love declaration with a disastrous result. A second might overwhelm her. He decided it was best to save it for another day.


	12. Why Are You Acting This Way?

**Thanks for the reviews! :) This story is almost coming to a close, maybe a few more chapters left. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 40_

_Jackson was unsure how he had gotten himself into this mess, but somehow he had been throw into a steel death cage to fight George behind the gymnasium during the dance. It was actually in the middle of a circle of campers, but he felt like he was the prisoner forced to defend himself against the lion… or maybe it was the other way around. Their fellow campers were certainly having fun watching two nerds try to beat each other up._

_The incident started after George approached Jackson and April on the dance floor. They were slow dancing to Vanessa Williams when he tapped his rival's shoulder and confronted him about "stealing" his best friend from him. He didn't want to make a scene at the risk of the counselors getting involved, so he told the Boston kid to meet him outside. The confrontation hadn't gone unnoticed because other teenagers followed them outside to watch and find out who would cry first._

_With music loud enough to distract the adults from overhearing the "Fight!" chants, the two teenagers stood face to face. George had his fists raised ready to protect himself, while Jackson was more relaxed with his arms by his sides. His eyes scanned the small crowd and wondered why the heck he bothered listening to the bookworm._

_"You don't have to do this – either of you!" April shouted nearby. She irritably looked at Lexie, who had been chanting with the rest of the campers. "Lexie, stop it! This isn't funny at all. That's George out there."_

_"I know. That's why it's funny," her best friend replied in amusement. The redhead only glared back at her. "Lighten up, April! George can't even harm a fly. Even I beat him up once, so what's the worst he could do?"_

_The crowd burst into laughter after George swung his arm and hit nothing. Jackson didn't even budge, glancing at April with wide eyes. For a while, he thought the shorter boy was bluffing about fighting him. He was actually pretty damn serious._

_"C'mon, Fox! Fight me like a man!" George shoved Jackson, but the latter refused to retaliate. "You're supposed to fight for your woman. It looks like you're a bigger wuss than I am – not that I'm proud to be a wuss, but… but I can kick your ass. You don't intimidate me."_

_April rolled her eyes and groaned. "Can you two please give it up already? This is silly! Somebody's gonna come out here and catch us!" she warned them. Neither boy listened to her as her best friend tried to throw another punch and missed. "You're gonna get kicked out of camp!"_

_That was exactly why Jackson didn't want to fight George. However, his patience was running thin. The pushing and taunting from the nerd was beginning to annoy him more and more. The last straw was when he kicked dirt onto his formerly clean Air Jordan's. Nobody was allowed to mess with his sneakers. Typically calm and collected, he suddenly he swung his arm and his fist collided with George's nose, knocking him over._

_Campers started cheering again as blood dripped out of the defeated nerd's nose. Jackson immediately felt guilty, especially after April and Lexie rushed by their friend's side. He awkwardly stood in his place holding his hands behind his back._

_His girlfriend jumped up to her feet and angrily approached him. "You might have broken his nose!" she scolded him, slapping his lanky arm and making him wince. "You should've just backed off. If you get kicked out of camp, I can't say I'll feel bad about it."_

_"But I… I didn't mean to do it. He was provoking me!" Jackson retorted, pointing at George as Lexie helped him stand up. "Why are you taking his side? He started it."_

_"You didn't have to finish it," she argued. "Thanks for ruining my night."_

_Jackson frowned when April walked away with George and Lexie. The small crowd began to disperse, though some campers took the time to congratulate him for winning the fight. Of course, he felt like crap about it. His girlfriend was mad at him for something he hadn't started, yet he ended up being the jerk in the end._

* * *

"Dr. Avery!"

Jackson stopped in his tracks after hearing his name being called. He turned around to see George approaching him on the catwalk, appearing peeved as he clenched his fists. "What do you want, O'Malley?" he muttered. After touring four sets of medical school students, he wasn't in the mood for small talk, especially with the trauma surgeon. "I've had a long day of answering stupid questions from med school kids, so make it quick."

"I think you should stop seeing April," he declared, placing his hands on his hips.

"Umm, no. That's not happening," the plastic surgeon nonchalantly answered, slightly smirking at George. "Look, I heard about what you told her and I'm sorry she doesn't feel that way about you. That's not my fault, so get over it."

George scowled at the pretty man. "It _is_ your fault because you've made her delusional thinking you're this great guy who deserves her when in fact, you don't. I've known her my entire life and I'm not going to let her ruin her life by being with somebody who will eventually hurt her."

Jackson guffawed, shaking his head. "Who's the delusional one now?" He placed his hands behind his back to prevent himself from swinging at his coworker. "First of all, you don't know anything about my relationship with April. It may be fresh and new, but we're doing just fine. I don't go out of my way to date a woman with a kid, but in this case, I'm making an exception. I love her."

"No! You can't be in love with her. _I'm_ the one in love with her!"

"Well, she isn't in love with you. Just move on with your life, O'Malley," he advised. "And seriously, we're not thirteen anymore. This whiny act of yours is getting old. It's actually embarrassing now, bro. We're grown men now."

George forcefully pushed Jackson, who took a step back. "I'm not your bro. Quit acting like you're better than me, Mr. Big Shot. At least I can step a foot inside of an OR." He motioned his hands towards himself. "Let's do this right now, Avery."

"We're at work, you idiot," he sneered. "I'm not fighting you."

"She'll never love you the way she loved Matthew."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "I know what you're trying to do and I'm not falling for your crap. You want me fired? Fine. Go find a case of mine that could show signs of malpractice, but I guarantee you that I've done nothing wrong since I started working in this hospital," he insisted and attempted to walk around George, who blocked his path. "Get out of my way, O'Malley. You're wasting your time."

He and other bystanders were caught off-guard when George threw a right hook, hitting his jaw. Slowly reaching up and rubbing it, he used all of his will power not to fight back. "Are you finished?"

"No, I'm not," the trauma surgeon agitatedly replied, shoving him once more. Jackson barely reacted to his advancements and only stared at him unimpressed, which infuriated him. "What? No balls?"

While it was unnatural for him not to retaliate and let someone else ruin his pretty face, Jackson was fully aware of the fact that his job remained on thin ice because of his injured hand. George punched him again, hitting his cheek, but he kept his composure. He took another punch and then another as doctors and nurses watched curiously. It baffled him that nobody was trying to stop the one-sided fight. Maybe they all wanted to see him get his ass kicked, he thought. As embarrassing as it was that he was letting George freaking O'Malley beat him up, he decided to just take it all in. He appreciated his job too much to jeopardize it even more.

The situation grew more intense when George tackled Jackson to the floor and furiously swung his fists at his face. Still, the latter wasn't retaliating. Fortunately, Arizona came storming out of her office after witnessing the fight from her window.

"Hey! O'Malley, Avery! Knock it off!" she yelled, grabbing George's ear and pulling him away from the bruised and bloodied plastic surgeon. Her other hand grasped Jackson's ear as he pushed himself up from the floor. "My office, right now!"

"I didn't even do anything!" Jackson angrily replied, spitting out blood from his mouth.

Arizona led both surgeons away from the scene, holding on to their ears as if they were naughty Kindergarteners. She ignored the people laughing at them and shut the door after they walked into her office. "Sit down and don't speak until I say you can," she sternly instructed.

The two men quietly sat down across from the Chief's desk. Jackson reached for a tissue to clean the blood on his lip. George clenched his jaw, fighting his hardest to ignore the throbbing pain in his hands.

Sitting down in her seat, Arizona folded her hands and scowled at her attendings. "Care to explain what the hell just happened in front of my office?" she inquired, her eyes shifting towards the plastic surgeon. "Avery?"

"I just finished touring my last group of med school students and I was minding my own business when O'Malley felt it was appropriate to confront me out in the open about my relationship with Dr. Kepner," he answered, dabbing his lower lip with the Kleenex. "He tried to provoke me into attacking him, but I wouldn't do it. So, he attacked me instead."

"Is this true, O'Malley? Well, I mean, considering you're not sporting any cuts and bruises aside from your knuckles, I suppose I don't need the confirmation. Must I remind you that your personal problems with another coworker should be dealt with _outside_ of the workplace?"

"I'm sorry, but Avery has been disrespecting me since the day he arrived," George accusingly replied.

"That doesn't excuse you for your behavior, even if he's the most arrogant surgeon in this hospital – no offense, Avery," Arizona said, sheepishly grinning at an unamused Jackson. She immediately retracted back to her serious face. "Attacking another staff member – or anybody for that matter – is a fireable offense. O'Malley, I've never received a bad report from you, but I have to follow protocol. Rules are rules."

The trauma surgeon's eyes widened and remained speechless. To his surprise, Jackson intervened. "Okay, that's not necessary. O'Malley's a great surgeon and I never planned on pressing charges or anything. He's a good man. Give the guy a break."

Both Arizona and George stared at Jackson, arching their eyebrows. Not once since he arrived at Seattle Grace did he ever defend any of his coworkers, especially O'Malley. He was the type of person who looked out for himself first and hardly cared about anyone else's feelings. Although lately, he had been more selfless with certain people. And he just got his ass kicked by the guy he was defending. Why would arrogant Jackson Avery campaign to let him keep his job? It was a little mindboggling to his colleagues.

The Chief pursed her lips, twitching them to the side as she curiously eyed her plastics attending. Something was up, she thought. She knew very well that he and George weren't friends. Aside from the fact that he would have been fired if he had retaliated, he was definitely kissing someone's ass, but it wasn't anybody sitting in her office.

_April Kepner. Of course,_ she mentally reminded herself.

"I'm paging Sloan and Altman. They should know about this incident," Arizona said, picking up the phone receiver on her desk. "And I'll have someone bring you two ice. Stay put. This meeting is far from over."

* * *

The catwalk was occupied by various surgeons watching the meeting between Mark, Teddy, their attendings and Arizona through the large window of her office. Word had started to spread around the hospital about the fight, though the details changed from person to person. Regardless of which story was true, they were all being their nosy selves hoping to seek out any gossip they could get.

"Dude, look at Avery. O'Malley messed him up," Alex noted, chuckling to himself. "_O'Malley_ beat up Avery. How does that happen? Did he have a metal baseball bat? No way that guy kicked his ass with his fists."

Lexie scowled at the peds surgeon from across where she stood. "You're a dick," she retorted, folding her arms as she glanced back at the window. Mark and Teddy appeared to be in deep discussion, while Jackson sat slumped in his seat holding an ice bag against his cheek and George iced his knuckles. "Somebody's getting fired."

Meredith shook her head in disagreement. "Nobody's getting fired. Mark will smooth talk his way like he always does to convince Robbins to keep Avery and Teddy will argue all night if she has to in order for George to stay," she speculated. "But if anybody's being punished, it's George. He started the fight from what I heard."

"Avery's such a freaking pansy now," Alex scoffed. "Ever since he started dating Kepner-"

"He treats April well," Lexie defensively replied. She felt slightly disgusted protecting Jackson, but he hadn't been the same douche she loathed a few months ago. "She may actually be the best thing to happen to him. Before she arrived, you two were the most revolting men in this hospital, sleeping around like total manwhores. At least he decided to change his behavior."

"Whatever. He's using her kid to get into her pants. You seriously think he can wait another month without sex? If she doesn't put out now, he'll go find some hot chick at Joe's to bang instead. And I doubt April will want to screw him while she's thinking about her dead husband."

The urologist angrily shoved him in response. "You have no right talking about my friend that way!"

Meredith intervened, stepping in between the two surgeons. "Calm down, Lex. Do you want to join them inside of Robbins' office?" she scolded her sister and grasped her arm to restrain her. Turning towards Alex, she glared at the smirk on his face. "For somebody who's supposed to be Jackson's friend, you're a huge ass."

April came rushing through a set of doors and approached the threesome. "I just got out of surgery. What's this I hear about a fight between Jackson and George?" Taking a peek at the window, she saw her badly bruised boyfriend and gasped. "What the hell happened?"

"Can't you tell? Your nerd friend kicked his ass pretty good," Alex obnoxiously answered, laughing at the situation once again. "They've been in Robbins' office for almost an hour now. Probably trying to negotiate a fair punishment, though O'Malley really should be fired – and Avery should walk around the hospital with a brown paper bag over his head after suffering this type of humiliation."

She rolled her eyes at his snarky remark. "Did Jackson hit him?"

"Doesn't look like he did," Lexie replied, pointing out George. "Not a single mark on him. It was all George. Maybe he finally lost it. I mean, Jackson had been treating him like dirt for a long time."

"That doesn't mean he deserved it. He's changed, I swear," April insisted.

"How can you know?" Alex argued. "You've only known Avery for a few months. You have no idea what he was like before you moved home."

"I knew him when we were thirteen. We met at a summer camp," April blurted out. "And he was the nicest, sweetest boy I had ever met. So, I do have an idea what he was like, even before _you_ met him. Jackson probably won't appreciate me telling you this, but he was a nerd just like George – gigantic glasses and a puny physique. His personality was nothing like it is now. And he was my first boyfriend and I'm proud to say that!"

Quietly staring at his coworker, Alex suddenly burst into laughter. "_Avery_? A nerd? Gimme a break," he skeptically said, placing his hands on his hips. Both April and Lexie stared at him with annoyed expressions on their faces. "Oh, shit. You're serious?"

"Yes, Jackson was one of us," Lexie confidently replied. "It's just a shame he grew up to become full of himself."

Her best friend groaned in frustration. "But like I said, he's changing. He can be the Jackson I used to know and have fun with." She returned her gaze back to the trauma surgeon. "I bet this has to do with me. George is still upset because he's in love with me and I don't feel the same way."

Lexie softly gasped. "He told you?" She gently slapped April's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me about this? Hell, why didn't either of you say anything?"

"You knew George was in love with me this whole time?"

"Well, no. How can you not tell, though? The way he always stares at you and talks about you…" The brunette quickly shrugged and grinned at April. "It was so obvious, but I guess when Matthew was alive he knew he never stood a chance, so he kept his mouth shut. And he thought maybe this thing with Jackson wasn't a big deal, so why not give it a shot? You didn't make him cry, did you?"

Alex snorted. "Ha! That would've made my day."

Lexie glared at him. "This conversation doesn't pertain to you, so shut up," she snapped back before facing April again. "Is that why he's been moody today? He told you when he helped you move into your apartment last weekend, huh?"

April nodded guiltily, frowning as she recalled her awkward moment with George. She hadn't been able to speak to him since that day. He was avoiding her around the hospital and ignoring her text messages. "He caught me off-guard when he tried to kiss me," she murmured, slowly looking at an amused Alex. "Don't bother opening your mouth."

Finally, Arizona's office door opened and the attendings filed out into the hallway one by one. Some doctors scattered away, while others remained where they were. They couldn't care less if they were caught being nosy. Jackson avoided eye contact with everybody, including April, as he walked past them on the catwalk. His left eye was swollen, his cheeks bruised and he sported a fat lip. And knowing his fellow surgeons were aware of what happened now, he just wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out.

"Jackson," his girlfriend called out, but he ignored her. April chased after him through the double doors. "Did you get fired?"

"No. I have no reason to be, but I forced myself to save O'Malley from receiving that fate," the plastic surgeon muttered and continued to walk. "But Robbins sent me home for the day, so I'm gonna go change out of my scrubs and get out of here as soon as possible."

Tugging on his hand, April stopped Jackson in the hallway. She examined his injuries, grimacing in response. "Why did you let this get out of hand?" she asked, gently touching his cheek with her fingertips. "Why did you let George do this to you in the first place?"

"Why do you think?" he irritably replied. "I couldn't fight back. I would've lost my job and I didn't want to fight him to begin with. He wouldn't get out of my way, so I just took it all in. For once, I wasn't the bad guy here. Don't talk to me like this is my fault."

"I'm not blaming you at all." She placed her hands against his chest and sighed. "Why don't we go find a place to talk alone? I just finished my last surgery and my residents are handling my post-ops. I'm completely free to spend time with you. Actually, I _want_ to spend time with you. We could even do dinner tonight because Maddy's being watched by my parents today, so you and I-"

"Shouldn't you go check on George? I mean, that's what happened the last time we got into a fight," Jackson resentfully answered. He stepped away from April, who furrowed her eyebrows at him. "He's your best friend. I'm just the boyfriend. Go protect him instead."

"Why are you acting this way?" she questioned in frustration. "Yes, he's my best friend, but I care about you too. You're closing yourself off from me and I don't understand why. Just tell me what's bothering you!"

He threw his arm up and immediately dropped it against his side. "I can't! I'm sorry, alright? I… I have to leave. I'm technically not supposed to be here anymore. I'll uhh… I'll call you later."

April watched her boyfriend walk away feeling more confused than ever. His body language screamed, "I'm hiding something from you, but I'm not telling you crap," and she desperately wanted to find out what he was keeping bottled up inside.

* * *

Tiredly walking into the attendings locker room, April removed her lab coat as she approached her cubby. Her shift was finally over and she was ready to go home. George had been suspended for a month for causing the fight with Jackson, but she was furious with him for handling his problems immaturely and she refused to speak to him. Somehow, his stupidity led to her own boyfriend becoming upset with _her_, which she thought was unfair.

She was about to hang her lab coat on the hook in her cubby when she spotted a folded piece of paper sitting on top of her clothes. Her name was written on the front and she picked it up thinking it was a sappy letter from the trauma surgeon, but it came from Jackson instead. Did he write her a break up letter? She feared the secret he was hiding was exactly that – he decided to dump her, but he couldn't tell her straightforwardly in person.

Sitting down on the bench, she opened the letter and quietly read it to herself. What surprised her was the fact that he dated it as if he wanted it to be the most formal break up letter ever_. _Even more surprising to her was his letter seemed to be an overdue response to hers from twenty years ago.

_Dear April,_

_I'm sorry it's taken so long to write back to you, but it's better late than never, right? I should've written back to you the same day I received your letter. The problem is I'm terrible at expressing my feelings. I didn't want to embarrass myself and send you a half-assed letter when you took the time to write a full page of your thoughts and what you were doing post-camp. You were so interesting back then and I was a complete loser. I didn't want to waste your time with my boring rambles._

_But here are some things you need to know. I suppose it's cowardly of me to tell you everything in a letter, but like I said, I suck at being open to people. There have been a few occasions when I was honest with you. However, I just couldn't find the courage to face you and tell you how I truthfully feel about you. I hope you're sitting down while you're reading this because it's possible I'll overwhelm you with this admission._

_I love you. It took some time to fully realize this, but I think I fell in love with you from the second I saw your face at Wazi. You're still the same beautiful girl I met when we were thirteen. Kind, selfless and loyal. And you're an amazing mother. All this time, I think you're the woman I've needed in my life to set me straight. Every woman I've been with will never compare to you. If fate hadn't brought us back together, I would still be the same egotistical asshole who didn't think I needed to change anything about myself. You changed me, April. Maybe you don't feel the same way about me. That's okay. I can't force you to love me, but I thought you deserved to know how important you are to me._

_See you next summer?_

_Jackson_

Holding the letter against her lap, April wiped away the tears in her eyes and softly laughed at Jackson's closing statement. He mimicked what she had written in her own letter. She had been really disappointed when he didn't attend camp the following summer, along with the fact that he hadn't written her back.

Now she understood why Jackson acted strangely earlier that day. He wanted to tell her he loved her, but he couldn't find the best way to tell her. Hearing about George professing his love to her must have dampened her boyfriend's confidence, she thought. And of course, Matthew was another factor. Trying to match up to the man she had loved for thirteen years had to have intimidated him.

It was crazy to think she could fall in love with somebody else so quickly, but the plastic surgeon wasn't just any random man she met by chance. She enjoyed spending time with him, especially with Madison in tow. Their interactions were adorable and her daughter wasn't always eager to meet new people. And after reading his letter, she found herself missing him like she used to miss her late husband when they parted ways after class in college.

Jackson was that guy, the person she wanted to sleep next to at night and wake up with in the morning. April needed him to know she was falling in love with him too. She hurriedly changed out of her scrubs and drove to his condominium hoping he was home. Prior to ringing his doorbell, she removed her hair tie and let her auburn hair flow down from its ponytail form. She ran her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath before pushing his doorbell.

The front door opened and the pretty man stood across from her in nothing but his gray sweatpants. Trying not to stare at his naked torso like a hungry lion eying its prey, she couldn't help but notice the sweat slowly dripping down his chest and onto his chiseled abs. She suspected he had been working out, maybe crunches. He needed to keep that gorgeous abdomen of his toned after all.

"April, what are you doing here?" he breathlessly greeted her.

The peds surgeon snapped out of her zone, shaking her head and clearing her throat. "I… umm…" She paused, taking another deep breath to calm herself down. "Tell me you love me."

"What?" Jackson instantly felt stupid when his girlfriend held up the letter he placed in her cubby. "Oh. You read it."

"Well, you put it smack dab in the middle where I could find it easily. And yes, I read it," she replied in amusement, smiling back at him. "Do you mean it?"

He slowly nodded his head, pressing his hand against the doorway. "Yes. Listen, I'll understand if you don't feel-"

"Say it, Jackson," she politely demanded. "Tell me you love me."

"I… I love you?" he reluctantly said. The first attempt sounded awful and unbelievable, but he was relieved to have finally said it. However, she needed a more confident answer than the one he had given her. Standing upright, Jackson softly smiled at her. "I love you, April."

April brightly grinned, then shyly bit down on her lower lip. "I love you too."

Pulling her into his condominium with his good arm, Jackson pressed his lips against hers. Albeit, it hurt like hell because of the healing cut on his lower lip, but knowing April's feelings were mutual was enough to quickly numb the pain. She kicked the door closed with her foot while simultaneously removing her jacket. He pulled away from her as it dropped to the floor.

"Hold on a second," he interrupted them. "You know, we don't have to do this tonight."

"Jackson, it's okay," she insisted, her hands roaming over his shoulders. "I want to."

His first dumb mistake was letting George overpower him in front of their coworkers and make him look like a fool. He was positive rejecting sex with her would be the dumbest mistake of the day. Jackson pulled April back against his body, passionately kissing her as he blindly led her towards his bedroom. He groaned after his back bumped into the corner of his kitchen counter, while she giggled against his lips.

She kicked off her shoes as they entered his bedroom and he worked on the button of her jeans. He truly missed sex, but at the same time, he didn't want to rush it with her and end up being sloppy. Gently laying her onto her back on his bed, he used his left hand to support himself on top of her. While he was a strong, athletic man, putting all of his weight on his uninjured hand – and his non-dominant hand – wasn't very comfortable.

"If your hand's bothering you, we can switch," April suggested.

"No, no. I can do this."

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him as she noticed he was already beginning to tremble. Hooking her legs around his calves, she swiftly flipped them over and straddled his lap. "Because you once told me that I could be on top and you wouldn't mind at all."

A smug smile formed on Jackson's face when April lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. She leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips to shut him up before he could answer her.

No complaints from him whatsoever.

* * *

**Let me know what you think please! :)**


	13. Wouldn't That Be Awkward?

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jackson stirred in his sleep with a soft smile forming on his face. The previous night had been one of the most eventful nights in months. He had finally confessed his deep feelings for April, though he was initially hesitant at first to tell her using a handwritten letter. Instead of appearing at his door eager to see him, he had fully expected her to confront him about why he couldn't simply tell her everything to her face. But he was very relieved that his long overdue letter to his girlfriend worked in his favor.

They had made love twice and he would have gladly continued all night, but she surprisingly exhausted him, despite the fact that _she_ had done most of the work. When the peds surgeon teased him about how good she was in bed she wasn't messing around. Not that he ever doubted her, but to actually experience it was an entirely different story.

He rubbed his eyes, his left arm reaching across his bed for April. His hand landed on open space and he immediately opened his eyes as he slowly sat up on the mattress. She wasn't asleep beside him, which slightly concerned him. Did she pull a bang and bail on him?

Bang and bail was what he called dine and dash for sex. Sometimes he pulled a fast one on his past hook ups, especially if they were terrible, but he never expected the perky redhead to be that type of person. Then again, she did have a daughter to care for, so it was possible she didn't want to disturb him while she snuck out. It would have been refreshing to wake up beside a woman he never wanted to leave, though.

However, that hadn't been the case. Jackson climbed out of bed and found April's clothes on the floor, letting out a sigh of relief. He made a brief trip to the bathroom and slipped on a pair of basketball shorts before leaving his bedroom. His girlfriend was in the kitchen wearing nothing but his favorite Boston Celtics t-shirt, which covered her down to her mid-thighs. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun and he couldn't help but quietly stare at her for a minute. Even in a t-shirt that was too big for her, she looked beautiful to him. The green set a nice contrast with her auburn hair.

She noticed him standing a few feet away and used the spatula in her hand to wave at him. "Oh, good! Breakfast is almost ready. I cooked some turkey bacon, chopped up some fruit and the eggs are almost ready. Are you okay with scrambled?"

"Scrambled is perfect," he answered as he approached her, standing next to her in front of the stove. Jackson gently tilted April's chin up to give her a good morning kiss. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "I thought you left. I mean, well… for Maddy, which would've been understandable."

"She spent the night at my parents' house. I told them I had to stay at the hospital overnight, which I feel bad about because I lied, but I agreed to have lunch with them later when I pick up Maddy," she explained. "Why don't you come with me, so you can finally meet them?"

Jackson shifted uncomfortably. The last time he met a woman's parents was in college and it wasn't an impressive encounter. His arrogance had been a complete turn off. "Uhh… I don't know," he timidly replied. "Look at my face. It's more purple than yesterday."

April glanced up at her boyfriend's battered face. A dark blue and purple bruise surrounded his left eye and his lower lip was swollen. She partially blamed herself for the latter. "It's not _that_ bad," she insisted, lightly touching Jackson's bruise. "Besides, when I met your mother I got drunk and embarrassed myself. Meeting my parents can't be worse than that."

He slowly nodded in agreement. "True, but I'm not in the best shape right now. I don't want your parents to assume I'm trouble because my face looks like I took part in a boxing match."

"Trust me, Jackson. You'll be fine," she assured him. "My dad is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and my stepmom is wonderful. Plus, I've kind of been telling them about you, so they want to meet you anyway."

"Do they know I work with Mark? He hasn't been telling them about my old self, has he?" he worriedly asked.

"Neither of our parents has said anything to me, so you're likely safe." April ran her hand across Jackson's bare chest and playfully bit her lower lip. "Come with me, please? Maddy will be thrilled to see you too."

The plastic surgeon smirked at her. "There you go again with the Maddy card," he murmured, then he leaned forward and kissed her lips. "Alright, I'll go with you. I can't hide from your parents forever. I'm sure they won't ask me embarrassing questions like my mother did with you."

"Great! Thank you," she chirped. April suddenly tugged on the t-shirt she borrowed. "You don't mind me wearing this, do you? I just took whatever shirt was on top in one of your drawers."

"No, not at all," he happily responded, burying his face against her neck. "In fact, you are incredibly sexy in Celtics green."

April squirmed away from him when he started kissing her neck and laughed. "Can't you wait until after we're finished eating?" she teasingly scolded him. "Down, boy."

"First, you're controlling in the bedroom and now in the kitchen," Jackson quipped. He helped her prepare their plates, then he led her to the couch. Normally, he refused to let anybody eat on his leather couch, including himself, but cuddling with April as they ate breakfast was an enticing idea. He stretched out his legs on top of his coffee table, while she rested hers across his lap and sat next to him. "I can get used to this."

"Cuddling or eating breakfast with another person?"

"Actually, both. I've never done… _this_ before, being lazy with my girlfriend. I'm always on my feet, even on my days off." He quickly shrugged his shoulders as he chewed his food. "Karev would give me a ton of crap for turning all sentimental, but I'm happy. I thought I was satisfied with my life before, but I guess now I know how it really feels to be happy."

April smiled as she reached for her mug on the coffee table. "Well, I'm happy that you're happy and that I make you happy," she said before sipping her coffee. "Do I really need to mention that _you_ make me happy? Or have we overused the word happy and I should go for another word similar to it?"

Jackson winked and flashed his charming smile at her. "I got the memo, babe." He not only admired her abilities in bed but she was an excellent cook as well. Although he could prepare the same breakfast they were currently eating, she seemed to make bacon and eggs taste better than average. "Your eggs taste so much better than mine. Do you have a secret? They're so… uhh, fluffy."

"Secret?" she amusingly replied and chuckled. "There's no secret. I just try not to overcook them, that's all. Oh, in case you were wondering, I used a knife to cut up the fruit."

"And I thought I was the biggest smart ass in Seattle," he sarcastically said, sharing a laugh with his girlfriend. "Even that part of you is lovable. You could have the worst smelling fart and I'd love that too."

The redhead nearly choked on her food, covering her mouth with her hand. She stared at Jackson with wide eyes, swallowing before she burst into laughter. "Gross! I'm eating, you jerk," she exclaimed and shook her head in embarrassment. "I can't believe you went there."

He mischievously grinned at his plate. "Okay, fine. That was pretty bad, but if we can talk about farts, then we can talk about anything."

"Point taken," she agreed. "Your letter was a lovely surprise. Thank you for writing back to me."

"I'm glad you didn't think it was stupid or something," he sheepishly replied. "But never writing back to you was a douche move on my part and after we met again, the guilt wouldn't leave me alone. It wasn't cowardly of me to tell you I love you through a letter?"

"I thought it was romantic," April gushed and kissed Jackson's cheek. "You're a sweetheart."

After the couple finished eating, he took both of their empty plates and set them on the coffee table. The perfectionist in him would have gone to the kitchen and washed all of the dirty dishes right away, but he had broken his obsessive compulsive behavior since he started dating April. The dishes could wait, he thought.

Jackson lifted her up from the couch, carrying her with his left arm. Fortunately, she got the hint and wrapped her arms and legs around him, so she wouldn't experience a humiliating fall on the way to his bathroom. "You must be feeling very badass with this whole one arm carry technique," she teased.

"Like a boss," he playfully answered, grinning to himself after she rolled her eyes.

He was getting used to showing his cheesy, dorky side again.

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 41_

_The weekend was already a disaster after the one-sided fight with George ended badly, despite winning it unintentionally. Jackson was fortunate that nobody turned him into Camp Director Mike for what happened, but it didn't necessarily mean he could relax just yet._

_Two things bothered him – April wasn't speaking to him and it was Parents Day at Wazi. Campers' parents were allowed to visit with them during that weekend and specific events were organized throughout the day. He knew Catherine wouldn't be making an appearance, so seeing other teenagers spending quality time with their parents made him bitter. He opted to hide in his cabin, while everyone else was out with their mothers or fathers or both._

_So he laid sprawled out on his bed reading a stack of comic books one of his bunk mates let him borrow. The peace and quiet was relaxing, but depressing at the same time. He tried to keep his mind off of his lack of parental company by pretending he was Spiderman in the issue he was reading. It was fitting that Mary Jane was also in it because her red hair reminded him of April. Now he was hoping some mutated spider would crawl onto his bed and bite him, so he could become the superhero and kick his bullies' asses for treating him horribly since he arrived._

_April entered the cabin, slightly dressed up for Parents Day. She approached Jackson's bed and softly cleared her throat to get his attention. "Hi," she shyly greeted him and played with one of her pigtails. "What are you up to?"_

_"Avoiding Parents Day," he glumly replied. The nerd set the comic book against his chest and sighed. "I thought you were mad at me. What are you doing here?"_

_"I umm… I felt bad about last night. I didn't mean to get super mad at you. It's just… George has been picked on since we were little and I hate seeing people doing anything harsh to him," she explained. "I know you didn't want to hurt him, so I made sure he wouldn't tell Mike about this. You're safe."_

_"Well, thanks."_

_"Isn't your birthday this week?" April cheerfully asked. He simply nodded and she smiled at him. "Are you gonna do anything? Like, umm… is Mike gonna take you out of camp for lunch?"_

_"I told him not to. My birthday's nothing special," Jackson muttered. "I'd rather pretend it never happened."_

_She frowned as she hoped they could do something fun together for his 14__th__ birthday. "Do you want to meet my parents?"_

_"Wouldn't that be awkward?" he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. "I don't know. Parents and I aren't really a good mix. Even my own parents suck, so that's why I'm hiding during this stupid Parents Day stuff. It only reminds me that I probably would've been better off as an orphan."_

_"Okay, well… if you change your mind, I'll be at the lake with my parents and my brother until lunch time," she said, sadly smiling at him. "I hope you do change your mind."_

_Jackson sighed after April left his cabin. Maybe if they were older and in a serious relationship, he would want to meet the parents she always bragged about. But tagging along with another family made him feel ridiculous. He would have been one goofy loner._

* * *

_"Oh, Mark. I was really hoping you'd get a new haircut while you were away," Patricia Sloan-Kepner nagged her son. She absolutely loathed his Vanilla Ice hairstyle since the day he came home looking like the rapper. "It's just so… tacky."_

_Mark dodged his mother's hand when she reached up to touch it. "Whoa! Nobody touches my hair except for me, Mom. It takes hard work for the top portion of my hair to look this good," he gloated, drawing an eye roll from April. He flicked one of her pigtails and laughed as she scowled at him. "When are you gonna grow out of that pigtail phase? You look like you're about to enter Kindergarten again."_

_"No, I don't!" she retorted, folding her arms. "Lexie still puts her hair in pigtails too."_

_He pursed his lips when she smirked at him. "Uhh, at least she doesn't look like Pippi Longstocking like you do."_

_"Dad!"_

_"Leave your sister's hair alone. It looks just fine," Joe Kepner scolded Mark and gently patted April's shoulder. He spotted Thatcher Grey with Lexie and a very unenthused Meredith from afar. "Huh, I guess this means Ellis had another big surgery she couldn't miss in Seattle."_

_"When isn't a surgery big?" his stepson scoffed. "Dr. Grey is hardly ever around for anything that has to do with Mer and Lex."_

_Patricia nudged Mark with the back of her hand. "She's a very busy woman. And she removed your appendix two years ago, so be nice," she advised._

_He guffawed, stuffing his hands inside of his pockets. "She only did it because her intern screwed up and I almost died."_

_"And for that, you should be grateful." She turned her attention to April. "Honey, where's that friend you told us about over the phone? Will we be meeting him later?"_

_"You mean, her imaginary boyfriend?" Mark teasingly asked._

_"Shut up, Mark! He's a real person," April defensively replied._

_"Oh, yeah? Then, how come I haven't seen you with this so-called real person? You've talked about this boy a bunch of times, yet I never actually see you hanging out with him," he skeptically answered. "By the way, does he treat you good or do I have to beat him up?"_

_Joe chuckled. "Alright, nobody's beating up anybody. So, are we meeting him or what?"_

_Fidgeting with one of her pigtails again, April slightly grimaced at her family. "He's… he's not feeling well today, so I don't think you can meet him. And umm… he's really, really shy too."_

_"Told ya. He's fake," Mark insisted._

_"Jackson's not fake!" she yelled in frustration._

_"Then, prove it. Who's this Jackson punk smooching on my sister?" he taunted, annoyingly grinning at her. His face dropped when April remained quiet and appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Oh, crap. Just so you know, I can't be grounded for this."_

_Patricia pulled April against her chest and hugged her. "It's okay, dear. We believe you," she soothingly said as she comforted her tearful stepdaughter. "I'm sure this Jackson boy is a gentleman even if he's too shy to meet us. Maybe some other time then."_

* * *

Jackson unbuttoned the first three buttons of his favorite white dress shirt as he followed April to the front door of her parents' home. "Should I undo one more button or will it look like I'm trying to seduce your stepmother?" he nervously asked.

April spun around, smirking at her boyfriend. "You look fine. Don't be nervous." She thought it was adorable that he chose to wear all of his favorite articles of clothing from top to bottom – shirt, jeans, basketball shoes. "C'mon, they're waiting for us."

"Hold on a minute." He turned away from her, quickly adjusting his rolled up sleeves and smoothing out the small wrinkles of his jeans. Taking one deep breath, he faced her again as he ran his hand across his shaved head. "How does my hair look?"

She playfully rolled her eyes at him before she used her spare key to open the front door. Interlocking their fingers together, the peds surgeon led him into the house "Mom, Dad. We're here!"

The sound of tiny footsteps stomping against the hardwood floor grew louder and louder. Madison emerged from the kitchen and ran towards April, grinning brightly at her. "Mama!"

"Hi, baby!" April excitedly greeted her daughter, picking her up and kissing her cheek. "Did you have fun with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday?"

"Yeah!" Madison immediately took notice of Jackson and the bruises on his face. She pointed at him, scrunching her nose. "What happen to Doc Jacks'n? He gots ouchies!"

He awkwardly smiled at the 3-year old. "Oh, it's okay. They don't hurt at all."

"Mama fix dose too?"

"_Oh, yeah_. She fixed a lot of my ouchies in more ways than one-" Jackson softly grunted when April smacked his abdomen with the back of her hand. He sheepishly grinned, then he cleared his throat as Joe and Patricia approached the couple. Their puzzled expressions were likely from seeing his messed up face. "Umm, hello."

"You obviously must be Jackson," Joe politely greeted the plastic surgeon. He was taller than Jackson, sporting the salt and pepper colored hair and a beard. Holding out his hand, he raised his eyebrow curiously. "What happened to your face, son?"

He shook the older man's hand and forced himself to smile. "Disgruntled coworker," he answered. As if he was going to admit George beat him up. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Patricia greeted him with a hug. "You look like you were in a bar fight, honey. Don't you work under Mark? He's told us some great things about you. In fact, maybe you two can share stories of cases you worked on together while we eat lunch. He's out back on the patio with Lexie and Kylie."

"You didn't tell me Mark was coming," April noted. Having her stepbrother around could lead to a very unsuccessful meeting after what happened with Catherine Avery. "I thought it was just us."

"Meeting your boyfriend should be a family affair, so it was only right to invite your brother for this."

"But they see each other every day. He already knows Jackson… sort of."

Patricia dismissively waved her hand. "Oh, stop fussing over it. Lunch is almost ready, so let's make ourselves comfortable. Now, tell us everything, Jackson. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Boston," he replied, following his girlfriend's family through the house.

"Bost'n is in Mazzachoozetts!" Madison blurted out, to the delight of the adults around her. "Doc Jacks'n told me dat."

April chuckled. "And you remembered! Good job, sweetie!"

They stepped outside onto the patio where Lexie was having a pretend tea party with Kylie, while Mark stood in front of the grill and took care of the barbeque duties. He looked over his shoulder at Jackson and grinned. "Nice face, Avery."

The pretty man slightly smiled at his boss. "Good to see you too, Sloan."

The adults sat together at a large table, while the two little girls had their own table beside them. Joe and Patricia dissected Jackson's brain wanting to know everything about him, probably to decide whether or not he could match up to Matthew. Mark actually behaved and let him talk, though he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to throw at least one snarky comment into the conversation.

Lexie sensed Jackson was growing tired of talking about himself, which never used to be the case in the past. She decided to bring up a more fun topic. "Did April tell you that we went to camp with Jackson once?" she intervened. "They were actually kind of boyfriend-girlfriend too."

Patricia softly gasped and smiled. "Is that true? Are you the same Jackson we never had the chance to meet?"

April nodded her head. "Yes, he is," she answered for him, then she slowly looked at Mark with a smirk on her face. "And he wasn't imaginary, despite what he kept telling you guys."

Her brother scoffed. "It's not my fault I never actually saw you two together. Besides, it would've been awkward considering I used to beat the crap out of Dweebles- I mean, Jackson," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Like I knew they were the same person."

Joe's eyes switched back and forth between Jackson and Mark. "Did you do that to his face, Mark?"

"Of course not. It was O'Malley."

"_George_? Your best friend, George?" Joe questioned skeptically. He chuckled, then cleared his throat when April glared back at him. "Excuse me, I'm sorry. Umm, just how _did_ he beat you up, Jackson?"

April groaned. "Oh my God, Dad. Why does everybody underestimate George?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Mark quipped and a muffled laugh came out of Joe's mouth.

Jackson appeared ready to stab his eye with a fork. Apparently, getting beat up by the trauma surgeon was worse than breaking his hand from punching a vending machine. But when he thought about it, he wasn't sure who he should feel more sorry for – him or George. Maybe the latter since even April's father couldn't believe he beat someone up.

"I took the hits for her," he murmured, taking April's hand into his. "Sounds stupid, but I'm in love with your daughter."

Lexie spit out her water, covering her mouth as everyone stared at her. She dabbed her lips with a napkin and forced herself to laugh. "Wow, I mean… Jackson loves April. I uhh, I definitely didn't see that one coming… or maybe I did. It's cute, you know? First, George loves her and now there's Jackson…"

"You think I'm lying or something?"

"No, no. It just makes more sense why you stopped sleeping around and changed your attitude at the hospital," the urologist casually answered.

"You… slept around?" Patricia inquisitively asked Jackson. "How many women were there?"

Lexie grimaced, slouching in her seat. "Yeesh, I shouldn't have mentioned that part about you, huh?" she guiltily replied.

Mark tapped his fingers against the table. "I used to be like Jackson. I slept around, thought I didn't need to settle down with anybody, but then there was Lexie. She changed me into a better man. April's doing the same thing with Avery," he insisted. "Trust me. They're good for each other."

"Are you drunk?" April bluntly asked. Since when did Mark start supporting their relationship? He was either kissing her ass or surprisingly being sincere.

"I mean it, Apes. The Jackman here has proven his worth," he stated, giving Jackson's shoulder a hard pat. "And he's my guy. Best plastic surgeon at Seattle Grace – after yours truly, of course."

Jackson waved his hand as he stood up. "Look, you don't have to pretend to like me, Sloan. You've made it pretty clear several times what you think of me, so I'd prefer if you just didn't say anything at all," he implied before looking at Patricia. "Excuse me, for a minute. Where's your bathroom?"

"After you walk through the kitchen, make a right and you'll find it," Patricia answered.

April watched her boyfriend disappear into the house, then she scowled at Mark. "He's seriously trying to get you all to like him. Patronizing him isn't helping," she angrily responded. "And I love him too, so if he breaks up with me, it'll be your fault."

Mark pointed at himself. "I wasn't patronizing him. I was being honest." He pushed himself up from his seat. "I'll take care of this. I have some things to clarify with Avery anyway, so give me a few minutes alone with him."

Just as the plastics attending walked into the house, Jackson was leaving the bathroom. He had been irritated enough when he blabbed about George. A part of him desperately wanted to give his boss two black eyes. "I'm done with your crap, alright? You can heckle me all you want, but I'm not gonna to stop seeing April. That's just not gonna happen," he proclaimed. "I lost her once and I'm not losing her again."

"Are you done bitching?" he nonchalantly asked.

"To be honest, no. I could spend an entire hour telling you everything that's on my mind. However, I won't do that because you're not only April's stepbrother but you're my boss. I love my job at Seattle Grace, so I'd rather not get fired over personal beef with you."

Mark laughed to himself, placing his hands on his hips. "Relax, Avery. The world isn't against you. I came here to apologize and to let you know that what I said out there about you wasn't bullshit. You've actually turned into a pretty decent guy and if April can see that, then I know you're not just trying to get into her pants."

"So… why the sudden change of heart?"

"My sister loves you and I want her to be happy, especially after she lost Matthew. I hardly expected her to fall in love with another man this quickly, but you being that guy is understandable. The whole campy love story set it up for you two." He let out a sigh and rested his hand on Jackson's shoulder. "I'm sorry I made your life Hell back then. Well, also for treating you unfairly at work. I was only trying to protect April from you, but I won't do that anymore. I'll only come after you if you break her heart. I mean it, Avery."

"I won't hurt her, I swear. She means everything to me," Jackson answered and smiled. "And my mother still adores her regardless of her drunken episode during our dinner."

"That's a relief. I was certain her behavior turned your mom off from ever visiting Seattle Grace again," Mark jokingly remarked. "Oh, and good news. You're off med school tour duty. I convinced Robbins to bump you up to teaching intern skills labs."

"Awesome! I can't wait to teach my interns how to tie surgical knots," his coworker sarcastically replied.

"I can easily bring you back down to touring med school students."

Jackson waved his arms and softly laughed. "No way. Skills labs are much more relaxing." He held out his left hand in front of Mark. "Thank you for trusting me, Sloan."

Mark firmly shook Jackson's hand. "I propose we give a name for ourselves. How about the Plastics Posse?" he suggested. "We'll be kicking surgical ass and taking names."

"The Plastics Posse," he repeated, slowly furrowing his eyebrows at him. "Nobody will know about this name, right? Like, you're not going to put this on t-shirts for us to wear or whatever?"

"You know, that's not a bad idea. C'mon, man. We'd stand out from the rest of the attendings. Everybody will know who we are and they'll bow down to us," the Head of Plastics bragged.

Jackson pursed his lips. "Hmm… or maybe they'll just laugh at us."

Mark suddenly pulled Jackson towards him, giving him a bear hug. "We're like brothers now. The Plastics Posse is in full effect and here to stay."

April appeared, stopping a couple of feet away from the hugging men. "Umm… was I supposed to witness this moment or do you two want to be left alone?" she questioned, fighting back her laugh because her boyfriend seemed visibly uncomfortable.

Her brother moved away from Jackson, smugly grinning back at April. "Don't mind us. We were just working past our differences. No need to worry about me sabotaging your relationship anymore," he truthfully said, grabbing the couple's hands and joining them together. "You two are meant to be together."

Suspiciously watching Mark as he left them alone, she slowly shook her head. "Okay, are we sure he's not drunk?"

"Nah, he's finally owning up to his mistakes," Jackson assured her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Your parents don't think I'm a total ass, do they? I thought Mark was trying to screw with my head with his unexpected praises."

"I'm pretty sure they like you. They can see how happy you make me. I just have to kill Lexie later for blurting out the fact that you used to sleep around," she muttered.

"Maybe that's a blessing in disguise. Your parents know that I've changed for you and well, myself. And Mark will likely be bragging to them about our so-called Plastics Posse-"

"You're what?"

Jackson smirked at his girlfriend before he leaned forward and kissed her lips. "Nothing."

April's arms snaked over his shoulders as she mischievously grinned back at him. "So, this Plastics Posse… does it involve hugging each other like you're lovers whenever you see each other in the hallway or work on a procedure together?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes and softly laughed to himself. "God, I hope not. I think Mark bruised a rib."

"Well, if you need me to kiss your ouchies…" She seductively bit down on her lower lip causing him to groan in response. "We could schedule an appointment. Dr. Kepner will make you feel better again."

"Oddly enough, I'm finding Dr. Kepner talking in the third person incredibly hot," he huskily whispered, leaning in for another kiss. April ducked her head and laughed as she walked away from him. "Hey, where are you going?"

The peds surgeon glanced back at him. "We're in my parents' house. Get real, Jackson."

Jackson rubbed his neck, mentally cursing at himself for thinking he would be having sex with April in her childhood home. "You're still a tease, you know that?" he playfully called out to her. "And you better me serious about that appointment because I think I might be experiencing erectile dysfunction after what you just pulled."


	14. I Make You That Happy?

**Hey, folks! We're almost at the end of this story. I hope you've enjoyed the journey I gave Jackson :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 45_

_Wide awake and lying on his bed, Jackson rested his hands on top of his stomach as he twiddled his thumbs. According to his watch, it was 11:58 PM. Only two more minutes and he would officially be fourteen years old. He had trouble sleeping, but not because he was anxious for his birthday. They hardly excited him anymore since his mother forgot about his birthday the previous year. April had left a note underneath his pillow sometime during the day. He wasn't sure when, but she apparently snuck into his cabin at some point and dropped it off for him to find. She asked him to meet him by the lake at midnight. It wasn't that he was afraid to sneak out. He simply wasn't sure if he could get away with sneaking out of his cabin._

_He didn't consider himself to be very stealthy. Somewhat clumsy and uncoordinated, the nerd was positive he would bump into something in the dark and wake up his counselors and bunk mates. And unlike owls, he was completely blind in the dark even with his glasses on. However, he couldn't keep April waiting. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he never showed up?_

_For somebody who had been adamant about following the rules at camp, his girlfriend turned into a small rebel since they became a couple. Stealing food from the dining hall, sneaking into the boys' cabin and now sneaking out past curfew. Jackson was amazed his nerdy self could have that effect on an innocent girl like April. In some ways, she changed him into a slightly more confident person in exchange._

_Checking his watch again, it was now 11:59 PM. He told himself to stop being a pansy and be bold. Taking a deep breath, he quietly climbed out of his bed and picked up his shoes from the floor. Instead of wearing them, he carried them in his hand as he tip toed towards the door. The floors were old and creaky, making him cringe when even the faintest sound beneath his feet could be heard. His next challenge was the screen door, which made a loud noise when anybody entered and left the cabin. He closed his eyes as he slowly opened it. It felt like an eternity before he finally opened it enough to slide out and it took another minute or two to close it._

_The air was a little chilly as he sprinted to the lake with his shoes still in his hand. It was five minutes after midnight, so he hoped she was still waiting for him. When he arrived at the lake she was nowhere to be found. He sighed, realizing he had taken too much time being careful and she decided to retreat back to her cabin._

_But that didn't appear to be the case. April jumped out from behind a tree and covered Jackson's eyes with her hands. "Happy Birthday!" she gleefully greeted him. The redhead stepped in front of him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I know you said you didn't want to celebrate your birthday, but how can you not celebrate it at all?"_

_"Well, it's nice of you to remember. My mom didn't last year. She was away at a conference in Miami when I turned thirteen," he replied, sadly smiling at her. "So, umm… what do you have in mind?"_

_"I have a little present for you," she answered, taking his hand and leading him towards the tree. April picked up a small box with a bow tied around it and held it front of him. "Okay, it's nothing extra special, but I wanted it to feel special. It's just something I made in arts and crafts."_

_Jackson removed the bow and opened the box. Inside was a handmade picture frame with a photo of them together before the most recent dance. Each side of the frame was covered with tiny beads of a different color. "Thanks. It must have taken forever to glue all of these on."_

_"Yeah, and I even glued my fingers together on a few occasions," she sheepishly admitted and chuckled. "I… I thought it would be cool if you brought a picture of us home with you because camp is over next week and umm… if you don't come back next year, I don't want you to forget about me."_

_"I won't forget about you. Ever," he confidently assured her._

_"You promise?"_

_"I promise," her boyfriend confirmed, pulling her by the waist and kissing her. In his mind, being fourteen made him one step closer to becoming a man. And considering nobody else was around, he had no problem acting bolder around April. She took a step back as she kicked off her shoes and lifted up her shirt. Jackson's eyes grew wide as dirty thoughts rushed through his mind. "Uhh… are you- are you doing what I think you're doing?"_

_April pulled her t-shirt over her head before staring at him confused. "What exactly do you think I'm doing?" She gazed down at her neon green and orange bathing suit and looked up at Jackson again. "We're going swimming in the lake. This is my bathing suit."_

_He cleared his throat, quickly nodding his head as he scratched the back of his neck. "O-oh of course. I… I know that's your bathing suit," the birthday boy stammered. His perverted side had hoped he was getting a free show, despite the fact that he figured she wasn't that type of girl. "Anyway, the lake? What if we get caught?"_

_"We won't if we don't make a lot of noise," she insisted. "Now strip."_

_Jackson felt a little hesitant to strip down to his boxers because April had never actually seen him in his swimming attire throughout the entire summer. Their activities schedules were different and he typically swam in the lake while she was busy engaging in another activity somewhere else on the campus. He was a scrawny twig. Having her see him without a shirt on made him feel slightly insecure about his body._

_He timidly removed his t-shirt, dropping it at his feet. After slipping out of his basketball shorts, they both awkwardly stared at each other. She folded her arms against her chest, biting her lower lip and wishing she had bigger boobs. On the other hand, he hoped they would jump in the water soon because his dirty mind was at it again. At this point, he was trying to think about the Pledge of Allegiance to avoid embarrassing himself. He decided to take off his glasses to stop himself from seeing a clear visual of her._

_"Are you okay?" she asked curiously. "I mean, can you see without those on?"_

_"Yeah, I usually swim without them on," he replied, setting his glasses on top of his clothes._

_"Cool. Let's go." April led Jackson to the dock and stopped at the edge. She dipped her foot into the water to check the temperature. "The water doesn't seem too cold. What do you think?"_

_As he leaned forward to test the water, she caught him off-guard by pushing him into the lake. He swam up to the surface, while she giggled at him. "What was that for?"_

_"Oh, don't be a pouty face," the redhead teased before jumping into the lake and splashing water on top of him. She playfully swam away from him and forced him to chase after her._

_Jackson eventually loosened up, splashing water back at her and laughing at her high-pitched shrieks. He dunked her under the surface, quickly swimming away before she could return the favor. "I'm sorry. Was that harsh?" he amusingly questioned._

_"I'm gonna get you for that!" she squealed._

_He decided to hide underneath the dock, accidentally bumping the top of his head when he popped up from the surface. April followed suit and if it weren't for the lights above seeping through the cracks of the wooden boards, they likely wouldn't have been able to find each other. She clung onto his shoulders and grinned knowing Jackson was having fun celebrating his birthday._

_"Aren't you glad I came up with this plan?"_

_"Alright, yeah. You're making my birthday more awesome than I anticipated," he admitted, smiling back at her. "So, since it's my birthday…"_

_"Mhmm?"_

_Jackson placed his hands on April's waist, though one hand started traveling south to her backside. Her eyebrows shot up when he grabbed her butt and he immediately withdrew it to his side. "Sorry! I umm… I've been wanting to do that and I thought it wouldn't be as rude as touching your boob," he nervously said. "Don't be mad."_

_She covered her mouth and laughed. "I'm not mad. Actually, I thought you were gonna ask if we could makeout."_

_"Can we?" he eagerly asked, then shut his eyes and grimaced. Stupid teenage boy hormones._

_"Well, it's your birthday," she nonchalantly answered and leaned forward to kiss him._

_For Jackson, it was hands down the best birthday ever._

* * *

April's internal clock woke her up before the alarm clock on her bedside table could do it for her. She slowly turned over on her bed, lazily reaching for her clock and turning off the alarm. Flipping back over onto her right side, she smiled at the sleeping man next to her. It was August 5th, which marked Jackson's 34th birthday. He had spent the night at her apartment for a pre-birthday celebration, but it wasn't unusual for him to crash at her place. The majority of their weeks consisted of him going home with her rather than to his condominium.

Almost a full four months had passed since they officially started dating and she couldn't be happier. Her boyfriend was an egotistical, self-absorbed person when she first met him again, but he eventually transformed into a caring and considerate man. Many of their coworkers thought it was impossible. However, he proved them all wrong after he decided to change for the peds surgeon.

He practically worshipped everything about her, including Madison. His new philosophy about children also surprised the other doctors. The plastic surgeon spent a lot of his spare time hanging out with the now 4-year old in daycare. For her birthday, he bought her a pink bike with shiny streamers attached to the handlebars. She instantly fell in love with it, riding around on it at the park for hours – as long as Doc Jackson didn't let go of her. It was worth the lower back pain the following day.

While they weren't quite ready to move in together, April reserved a drawer and space in her closet for him. She also gave him a spare key to her apartment. It was close enough to living together without _actually_ living together, which was an ideal situation for the couple.

She watched his bare chest rise up and down as he slept peacefully on his back. "Jackson," the redhead murmured. He was unresponsive, so she began planting kisses on his body, starting at his abdomen and working her way up to his chest. "Hey, birthday boy…"

He fought back his smile as the touch of her lips against his skin immediately aroused him from his sleep. It had been years since Jackson looked forward to his birthday. In the past, it was just another typical day for him. Nothing special. He hated thinking about the fact that he was a year older. Mama Avery's birthday greetings always included her asking if he found a woman to settle down with. This year, she wouldn't have to.

"C'mon, honey. Stop toying with me. I know you're fully aware of what I'm doing," his girlfriend scolded him, climbing on top of him and kissing his lips. "I don't have a ton of time to waste because I have to get ready for work."

Jackson grinned against April's lips, clutching her waist with both hands. He was a very happy man after his right hand had been officially cleared for surgery just two weeks ago. Mark was also thrilled to have the other half of his Plastics Posse back in the OR, albeit he personally loathed the nickname. Operating again and being in an exclusive, healthy relationship – everything felt perfect. He wouldn't want it any other way.

"Can't you call in sick?" he mumbled in between kisses. "It's my freaking birthday."

"I know. I'm sorry," she groaned, sitting up and straddling his lap. "But I can't. I have a very delicate heart valve replacement surgery on a 14-month old, so blowing that off would be really awful for my conscience."

"Just this once, I want to revert back to my selfish ways and keep you all to myself," he jokingly whined, making her laugh. The plastic surgeon's hands roamed up April's thighs and slid underneath her extra large Brown University t-shirt. "Is Maddy awake?"

"If she hasn't knocked yet, then she's still asleep."

"Which means she could be knocking at any minute now." He attempted to sit up on the bed to kiss her, but she pushed him down onto his back. "I thought you didn't want to waste any time."

A mischievous grin formed on April's face as her fingers clutched the waistband of Jackson's boxer briefs. "You're right, but it's your birthday, so you should be relaxing. Let me do the work, okay? Think of this as one of many presents you'll be receiving from me today," she teasingly replied.

Like he was going to complain. With the peds surgeon, he was having the best sex of his life. Being in love changed his perspective about sex. While he had his share of model-type women that a person like George would never get the chance to sleep with, he had sex with them for the sake of getting laid. But with April, it was more than just sex and that made each experience all the more enjoyable for the both of them.

Plus, what she was doing to him at the moment was quite the birthday present until…

Jackson's head shot up when tiny knocks on the door alerted him. "Maddy's up," he breathlessly said, pulling up his underwear and covering himself with a pillow while he sat up on the mattress. At least ten Pledge of Allegiances were necessary before he could climb out of bed.

April sprinted into the bathroom to quickly freshen up before she casually approached the door. By then, Madison had grown impatient and pounded harder while she whined. She opened the door to see her daughter holding a large, overflowed bowl of Cocoa Puffs with milk dripping from the sides. "Maddy, did you make yourself breakfast?" Peering out into the hallway, she gasped at the trail of milk and cereal all over the floor. "Oh, gosh. Look at this mess!"

Madison frowned, her innocent eyes becoming glossy as she gazed up at April. "I make breakfast for Doc Jacks'n," she softly replied. "For his birfday."

While her mother was trying to hide her anger, Jackson slid out of bed and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts from his drawer. He slipped them on and approached the tearful child. "You made this for me? Thanks, it looks really good!" he enthusiastically said, kissing the top of Madison's head. Taking the bowl with one hand, he picked her up with his other arm. "Let's go eat this at the dining table, then we can clean up afterwards."

"Jackson, if the milk dries up, the floor's going to be sticky," April agitatedly called out as she watched her boyfriend tip toe his way around the spilled milk and Cocoa Puffs on the floor. She rolled her eyes when he ignored her.

Between the two of them, Jackson was more laid back when it came to disciplining Madison. Perhaps it was because he wasn't exactly her father or he preferred being the so-called cool parent. But he was also a sucker for those sad eyes whenever she knew she was in trouble. She clearly had him wrapped around her little finger.

On the other hand, April adored their relationship. Their interactions seemed natural. He loved taking care of her and she had grown attached to him. The 4-year old continued to call him Doc Jackson, but she suspected calling him Dad wouldn't be a problem in the future.

"Fine, fine. I'll clean it up myself," she spoke to herself as she walked to the kitchen. "What plans do you have for today until your birthday dinner at Mark's?"

"Not sure yet," he responded with a mouthful of cereal. "How about I drop you off at work? I can pick you up later, so we only have to drive one car. I'll bring Maddy with me to my condo for a while, then we'll stop by Molly Moon's for my birthday."

"Yeah, yeah!" Madison excitedly chirped. "I like Molly!"

April chuckled while she cleaned up the scattered pieces of Cocoa Puffs from the kitchen counter. "That's not fair. I want ice cream too," she playfully complained. "Save some for Mommy, okay?"

"But it'll melt!" she squeaked, covering her mouth as her high-pitched giggles filled the room.

"Yeah, sweetheart. Ice cream melts," Jackson teased, turning in his seat to look back at his girlfriend. She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed. "I can think of a much better dessert for later, though."

"Shh!" The peds surgeon turned her back towards him to hide her flushing cheeks. "Not in front of you know who."

Madison dug her arm into the cereal box and pulled out the prize inside. "Mama, I got da toy!" she exclaimed, dropping the box onto the floor and spilling out the rest of its contents.

April spun back around, slapping her forehead after she discovered the new mess her daughter created. "Madison Leanne! We just bought that cereal yesterday and now it's all over the place," she said in frustration. "What are you going to eat for breakfast now?

Jackson scooted his bowl towards Madison and smiled. "Here, we can share. I'll get you a spoon."

His girlfriend folded her arms, furrowing her eyebrows at him when he walked into the kitchen. "Jackson, you can't keep spoiling her," she whispered. "Otherwise, she'll expect everything to go her way and I'll be the bad guy when I need to discipline her."

"She made me breakfast. I can't help it," he murmured, shrugging with a cheesy grin on his face. "Don't worry. While you're at work, I'll make sure she doesn't stir up trouble. She behaves 95% of the time when I watch her."

"Yeah, 'cause you're the fun one between us," she muttered.

"There's no reason to be jealous. She was just excited to do something for my birthday, a little too excited obviously." Jackson kissed the top of April's head and rubbed her back. "Why don't you go shower? I'll clean this all up for you."

"Okay, but keep an eye on Maddy while she eats. Oh, and make sure she doesn't choke-"

"I've got this," he assured her. "You've trusted me long enough with her, so she'll be alright."

April hopped up onto her tip toes, kissing Jackson's lips. She grasped his shoulders as a grin formed on her face. "Thank you. By the way, your present from this morning will continue later tonight," she seductively said and laughed when he softly groaned. "It'll be worth the wait. I promise."

* * *

Strolling down the hallway in the hospital, April had finished scrubbing out of her lone surgery of the day. It was a successful procedure with a few hours left to spare until Jackson picked her up from work. After speaking with her patient's parents, she stopped by the nurses' station to update a chart.

Alex approached his coworker and stood beside her. "Hey, are you busy?"

"If you're going to ask me to forge signatures for you again, the answer is always the same – no," she casually replied without bothering to look back at him. "And don't turn to your residents either. It's against the law, you know."

"That's not what I need you for," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "It's a personal favor."

"You know I don't do those either. Besides, I'm in a relationship with your best friend in case you forgot."

"Dammit, Kepner. I'm serious right now. Can you give me two minutes?" Alex impatiently questioned. "I swear, it's nothing perverted or whatever. I just need some freaking advice from someone who might actually help me out."

April closed her chart and handed it to the nurse behind the counter. "Okay, what do you want?" The two pediatric surgeons walked side by side down another hallway. "How can I help you, Karev?"

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head, slightly grimacing. "I need… dating advice."

She stopped in her tracks and smirked at him. "Dating advice?" the redhead skeptically repeated, folding her arms. "Your typical routine of picking up a woman at Joe's isn't working for you anymore?"

"Dude-"

"First off, I won't help you if you're gonna call me _dude_. As you can see, I'm a woman with breasts," she reminded him, pointing at herself. "Let's start over. Why do you want dating advice from _me_?"

Alex shoved his hands inside of his lab coat pockets, quickly shrugging his shoulders. "Avery's not here, so I can't talk to him and since you're his girlfriend I figured you might know better than he does." He continued walking with April. "The guy's freakin' crazy about you. I've never seen him so whipped before. He says you're a wildcat in bed."

"He said _what_?" she gasped.

"Oh, shit. You weren't supposed to know that, but uhh… the point is, you're good for him and what I want to know is… how can I find a woman who won't slap me across the face after five minutes?" he awkwardly inquired. "I do have my eyes set on somebody, but I need to impress her. I screwed things up the first time, so she doesn't exactly trust me anymore."

April raised her eyebrow curiously. "Who's this woman you're referring to? Does she work here?" She watched him peer over her shoulder and she turned around to see who he was staring at. Standing in front of a vending machine was Izzie. "Oh. Stevens? You like her?"

Alex shyly nodded his head. Normally cocky and overconfident, the timid side of him was one nobody had seen before. "You know, I figured since Avery hasn't been sleeping around in months and the crap with Izzie is all in the past, maybe I have another chance with her. I just need some tips. How can I convince her to go out with me?"

"Umm… well, first you have to stop acting like a douche. Stop calling us chicks too," she started, slightly smiling in amusement as he pulled out a notepad and a pen.

"Don't be a douche. Got it," he recited while he scribbled notes. "What else?"

"Make some small talk with Izzie. Talk about things she's interested in," she added. "Then, ask her out in a polite manner. Sound sincere. And take her somewhere formal for your first date. She'll know you're being serious."

"Can I screw her afterwards?"

April rolled her eyes. "And another thing, don't use the word screw or any other slang word for sex. Leave your Karev dictionary at home," she suggested. "You've never really dated anybody for more than a week, have you?"

"I prefer jumping straight to the sex. Sue me," Alex bluntly replied. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, I guess." She firmly patted his shoulder before she walked away. "Good luck!"

"Wait! What if your advice doesn't work?" he called out.

The redhead spun around on her heel and brightly grinned back at Alex. "Beg. Beg on your knees," she quipped.

"Whatever. Thanks for your freaking help, Kepner!"

April smiled to herself as she turned the corner. She walked to Mark's office, stopping at the doorway and knocking. Her older brother was sitting behind his desk filling out paperwork. "Can I come in?"

The plastic surgeon waved her over. "Yeah, sure. Good thing you showed up because I want your opinion on something. Aside from ordering the smoked duck for Avery's birthday, I had shirts made for our department." He opened a drawer and pulled out two colored t-shirts – one black and one light gray. Both had the words Plastics Posse printed on them. "Which shirt do you think he'll like more?"

"Oh, gosh. You're serious about this Plastics Posse thing? I thought you were joking," she admitted, sitting down in front of his desk. "Umm… are you going to make Jackson wear one of those tonight?"

"I didn't even think of that idea," Mark gleefully answered. "Maybe I'll wear mine too. So, black or gray?"

"Uhh, gray?"

He nodded in agreement. "That's what I had in mind. I guess I'll keep the black one then." After putting the t-shirts back into his drawer, he slyly grinned at his sister. "How was your morning? Give your boyfriend some hot birthday sex?"

She stared disgustingly back at him. "Mark, there are some topics you and I should _never_ talk about. Sex is at the top of the list."

Mark chuckled. "That was a joke anyway. Do you honestly think I want to know about your sex life? Sometimes I still see you as that goofy looking girl with pigtails." He smirked at April. "How old were you when you stopped sporting that hairstyle every week? Twenty five?"

"Shut up," she playfully retorted. "For what it's worth, Jackson loved my pigtails."

"He loves everything about you. Why don't you two just move in together? He's always crashing at your apartment, which is average compared to his condo – no offense. And if he prefers sleeping next to you at night, then what's the point of keeping his own place?"

"We're happy with the way things are right now," April insisted. "He has a key to my apartment and there are spaces for his clothes. Isn't that enough? We don't want to rush anything."

"Oh, give me a break," Mark scoffed, lifting his legs and crossing his ankles on top of his desk. "If you want my opinion, Avery closed up shop from the moment you two started dating. Plus, I know there's nothing about you that would push him away. Maddy likes him, right?"

"She loves him. In fact, Jackson kind of spoils her," the peds surgeon answered, then she softly laughed. "You know, both of you guys are so weak. Kylie and Maddy know how to win you two over easily."

He rested his hands behind his head, smugly grinning at her. "Nah. We're just awesome. They're Daddy's girls. And before you say anything, Avery's shown he can be a great father. Never thought it was possible, but he's transformed into a better person before my eyes. It's like a miracle."

"It's not a miracle," she countered and smiled. "That good person in him was always there. It just took some time for him to resurface."

* * *

Waiting outside of the hospital for Jackson to arrive, April stood by the curb close to the parking lot. Her shift had ended and her boyfriend's dinner party was scheduled to begin in an hour, which gave her little time to change into classier clothes at her apartment. A brand new and shiny black Acura MDX pulled up in front of her. The passenger window rolled down and the plastic surgeon was inside, surprising her in the process.

"Hop in, beautiful," he happily greeted her.

Although confused by the sight of the new ride, April climbed into the front beside Jackson. "What is this? I mean, I know what it is, but… where did this car come from?"

"Doc Jacks'n bought a car!" Madison yelped from behind them in her car seat.

She briefly smiled at her daughter before she faced Jackson again. "You bought a car?"

He nodded as he drove out of the parking lot. "Yup, it's a birthday present for myself. Not only that, but…" The pretty man waited until they were stopped at a light to finish his sentence, so he could look back at her. "…I traded in the Porsche."

Her eyes widened. The Porsche was his prized possession. "You traded in your Porsche?" she asked skeptically. "You're kidding, right? That car was like your baby. After I drove it like one time, you inspected every nook and cranny for any damage."

Jackson laughed. "That was months ago. We just started dating," he recalled. "And my Porsche wasn't a family friendly car. Maddy's car seat was crammed in the backseat. This one suits us better."

"I still can't believe you- okay, now you're making me feel bad because you bought yourself a birthday present and you insisted I buy you nothing. That's not cool," she scolded him, jokingly pouting her lip.

"Because I feel like I have everything I need," he confidently said and grabbed a hold of April's hand. "If I'm allowed to be arrogant about something, it's the fact that I'm a happy man."

"I make you that happy?"

"Yeah. I'd do anything for you and Maddy." Jackson rubbed the back of April's hand with his thumb. "I love you both."

While she never doubted his feelings, actually hearing him openly talk about them was endearing. He had truly changed since she returned to her hometown. She squeezed his hand and smiled. "We love you too."

* * *

"I look stupid in this shirt, huh?" Jackson motioned his hand towards the Plastics Posse t-shirt Mark forced him to wear after he arrived at his home. He glanced down at the black lettering, shaking his head. "If he wasn't my boss, I would've tossed this in the garbage."

April giggled as she brushed her hand across his chest. "I don't know. It actually doesn't look that bad. At least you're not alone since Mark decided to wear his too. You two are almost twins," she teased. He rolled his eyes in response, then she slipped her hand into his and led him outside into the backyard. "I umm… I want to talk to you about something important."

"Okay. What about?"

"Well…" She nervously bit her lower lip, gazing down at their interlocked hands. "I've been thinking about this for most of the day now. Do you- do you want to move in together? It doesn't have to be my apartment. It's a little small, I know. And it's okay if you're not ready for that because maybe it _is_ too soon-"

"Yeah, let's do it," her boyfriend interrupted her rambling and smiled. Jackson cupped April's cheek, tilting her head up to make eye contact with her. "I've spent more time at your place than mine in the last couple of months. I think we're ready."

"So, it's official?" the peds surgeon asked excitedly.

He leaned forward and kissed her. "You've made this the best birthday I've had since I was fourteen."

"Speaking of your fourteenth birthday, do you remember what we did?" April questioned as she eyed the swimming pool beside them.

"Of course I do. We went swimming in the lake. You let me grope your ass and we made out under the dock. Although, it wasn't the most comfortable makeout session, especially after a frog found the inside of my boxers and I banged my head about four times…" Jackson raised his eyebrow as a wide grin slowly formed on April's face. "What are you thinking about?"

Without any warning, she pushed him into the pool. Trying to hold back her laugh, she innocently smiled at her boyfriend after he swam up to the surface. "Oops," she snickered.

Jackson shook his head and pounded his fist against the water. "You are getting in here," he demanded, smirking back at her.

"No way! This dress I'm wearing is new!"

He climbed out of the pool, while she laughed at him. "I get it. You wanted to revisit our midnight swim at Wazi." Wrapping his arms around her, he picked her up causing her to scream out loud. "But you can't push me into the pool and think you'll get away with it."

Before she could respond, the plastic surgeon tossed her into the pool and jumped in after her. April splashed water at Jackson's face and while she wanted to yell at him, she laughed with him instead. "You bastard!"

"You love me," he humorously replied, pulling her against his body. "Thanks for giving me a reason to take off this Plastics Posse shirt, though."

"You're buying me a new dress," she reminded him before kissing his lips.

Mark opened the sliding door, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight of the couple in his pool. "I don't know what happened here, but dinner's ready," he announced, closing the door halfway before opening it again. "Oh, and don't come in until you're completely dry. I'll kill you both if you drip water all over my carpet. I'll get you some towels and dry clothes."

April chuckled as her brother closed the door. "We should get out now." She tried to slide out of Jackson's grasp, but he held on to her tightly. "Jackson, what are you doing?"

"Just a few more minutes," he murmured, smiling against her lips. "I'm trying to sketch this entire day into my memory because today was absolutely perfect."

* * *

**I will post the last chapter this week!**


	15. We'll See Each Other Again, Okay?

**Here's the last chapter! Thank you for reading/reviewing this fic :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Bow tie events were one of Jackson's favorites. He loved dressing up for formal events solely for the purpose of buying a new bow tie. A collection of bow ties were neatly sorted in a box in his closet, but none of them were going to be of use for that particular day. A plain, black bow tie from the Men's Wearhouse was what was required for the day. Otherwise, he wasn't going to match with the other men.

It was a momentous Saturday because it was wedding day. It had been a long time coming.

Not their wedding, though. He and April were happily married for three years now, but his best friend was finally taking the plunge and joining the group of married doctors at Seattle Grace. After a long term relationship with Izzie, Alex got over his marriage fears and proposed to her eight months earlier. Jackson was his best man and April was the OB/GYN's matron of honor.

While he wrapped the black material around the collar of his white dress shirt, the plastic surgeon's eyes ventured towards the smiling 3-year old boy peeking his head inside of the bedroom. He had his father's bluish-green eyes and his mother's bright smile. And when he was overly excited his single dimple stood out like a sore thumb.

"Jeremy, are you ready for Uncle Alex and Aunt Izzie's wedding?" he asked his son, who ran into his bedroom donning his white dress shirt without any pants on. Instead, his Buzz Lightyear Pull-Ups were fully visible. "Where are your pants? I thought Mommy put them on for you."

"I don't like pants!" Jeremy snapped back, climbing onto the bed and jumping on it. "Pants are yucky!"

Jackson closed his eyes and sighed. Since he and April started potty training their only son, he had gotten accustomed to removing his pants at the most random times. It was a phase that their friends teased them about. Lexie had suggested it was a sign he would be a future panty dropper when he became an adult, which worried both parents.

"You can't walk around all day without any pants on. Not only is it indecent but formal wedding attire includes _pants_. You're wearing them, bud," he ordered, picking up his son and holding him against his shoulder. "And I'm going to make sure you can't take them off during the ceremony."

"No pants!" Jeremy whined, attempting to wiggle out of his father's strong grip.

"Well, it's either pants or you're wearing a dress and I know Mommy will reject the idea of the latter." He entered the little boy's bedroom and found his pants on the floor. Setting him on top of his bed, Jackson used one hand to hold him down and the other to try to slip on his pants for him. Unfortunately, Jeremy furiously kicked his legs and cried as he struggled to free himself. "I'm sorry, but there's no way we're leaving this house without your pants."

Madison, wearing a lavender junior bridesmaid dress, stood in the doorway scrunching her nose at the sight of the two Avery boys fighting each other. "Daddy, what are you doing to Jer?" the 8-year old inquisitively asked, slowly approaching them.

Jackson glanced back at his daughter. "Your brother took off his pants again. I'm trying to put them back on. In fact, can you give me a hand, please? Also, before Mom walks in and sees what we're doing."

She carefully sat down on the bed, trying not to wrinkle her dress. Holding Jeremy's arms over his head, she watched Jackson slip each leg into his pants and tuck his shirt inside afterwards. "It's okay, Jeremy. They're just pants," Madison comforted her baby brother and kissed his forehead.

"Okay, where are his suspenders?" he murmured to himself.

"It's hanging on the doorknob," Madison pointed out and voluntarily retrieved it for him. She handed the suspenders to Jackson before she took a seat on the bed again. "Umm… can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course. What's up?" her father answered while he attached the suspenders to Jeremy's pants.

The redhead bit her lower lip, taking after April. As she grew older, her mannerisms and appearance matched her mother's even more. "How come you only went to Camp Wazi once and Mommy went every year? Was it not fun?"

Jackson softly smiled at Madison. In two weeks, she would be experiencing her first year at Camp Waziyatah and although she tried not to show it, she was very apprehensive about being away from home for eight weeks. "It wasn't that I didn't have fun. Actually, the one year I went I had a lot of fun because of your mom," he explained. "But your Granny Catherine normally had family vacations planned over the summer and that was the only year I wasn't allowed to go, so she sent me to Wazi. You'll have fun there, I promise."

"What if I don't?" she replied worriedly.

"Remember what we discussed when we first signed you up? If you don't like camp, then you can come home _but_ only if you at least give the experience a chance and it doesn't change your mind," he reminded her. "And Kylie will be there with you, so you automatically have one friend. I'm sure you'll make more too."

Madison slowly nodded her head. "What was your favorite thing to do there?"

_Making out with your mom behind the bushes_. No way Jackson would openly admit that, but it truly was his favorite activity during his stay at Wazi. In terms of official camp activities, there wasn't one particular activity that stood out in his mind.

"The rock climbing wall was neat, but you're probably not old enough for that yet," he answered with a chuckle. It took him the entire duration of the summer to successfully reach the top of the wall without screwing up. It happened on the second to last day of camp and for him, it was a major accomplishment.

Jeremy rubbed his eyes with his tiny fists as Jackson placed his feet into his small shoes. "I don't like pants!" he angrily cried.

"And we're finished," the plastic surgeon announced, letting out a sigh of relief. He helped his son off of the bed, smoothing out his clothes with his hand. "Maddy, can you watch him until we're ready to leave? Make sure he keeps his pants on."

"C'mon, let's go watch cartoons downstairs," Madison chirped, holding Jeremy's hand as she led him out of the bedroom.

"Daddy's mean," the 3-year old blurted out, giving Jackson one last glare before he was out of sight.

The older man could only roll his eyes. Jeremy had two sides to him. He could either be an adorable bundle of joy or the crankiest toddler known to man. On a good day, his infectious giggles made anybody's bad day brighter in an instant. When that wasn't the case he threw tantrums and his scowls matched April's whenever she was pissed at her husband. But he loved his baby boy, bad behavior and all. He just hoped the no pants phase would be over soon.

Leaving the bedroom, Jackson made a detour to the nursery down the hall. April had been dressed and ready for an hour, so she spent the rest of the time making sure the children were all groomed and prepped for the wedding. She was inside of the nursery with their 13-month old daughter, Aryn.

"Look at how beautiful you are, sweetie pie!" the peds surgeon gushed in her baby voice. She had just finished placing a light yellow headband on her daughter's head to accompany the pink and yellow flowers on her dress.

"Both of you look beautiful," her husband chimed in. Standing behind April, he kissed her cheek before kissing Aryn's forehead. Their baby girl smiled and reached for him. She was very much a Daddy's girl. Jackson took her from his wife, holding her above his head. "At least I don't have to worry about you ditching your pants today."

"Oh, no. Did Jeremy take them off?" April groaned. "I'm not in the mood to wrestle with him and mess up my hair."

"I took care of it. Maddy's keeping an eye on him, so he doesn't do it again," he assured her and laughed. "I'm also mean Daddy today, so he'll be hating on me all day because I made him wear his pants."

She snickered, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin against his shoulder. "Well, I guess I'm off the hook for the day. Are you all set? We should get going soon."

"I just have to fix my bow tie and get my coat from our room." Jackson took a moment to stare at April's appearance. Her strapless gown was a darker shade of purple, so she could stand out as the matron of honor. Her auburn hair was partially up and he was an automatic sucker for the red lipstick. "I don't mean to sound like a hormonal teenager right now, but damn. You are looking so sexy right now."

"Back at ya," she bashfully replied. "My parents will meet us in front of the church. Maybe we should start getting ready to leave. You know it takes ages to strap Jeremy into his car seat."

He nodded, carrying Aryn in his arms as he and April left the nursery together. "Let's go round up the kiddos."

* * *

The wedding moved along smoothly without any major mishaps. The only incident that occurred was when Jeremy ran up to the altar to stand with Jackson. Guests found it entertaining, even Alex laughed as the toddler clung onto his daddy's leg and became an unofficial groomsman. Though slightly embarrassed, both parents were relieved that their son kept his pants on. And he also wasn't mean Daddy anymore.

The reception took place at a nearby hotel. While the newlywed couple engaged in their first dance as husband and wife, Jackson slipped away to have a drink with Mark at the bar. Their wives were busy taking pictures and gushing over the center of attraction, while Joe and Patricia watched their grandchildren for them.

"How about Karev, huh?" the Head of Plastics stated, sipping his scotch. "It's about damn time he tied the knot with Stevens. You think you and April could've waited this long to get married?"

Jackson immediately shook his head. "Nope," he answered. They were engaged after seven months of dating and married four months later, partially speeding up the process after he and April learned she was pregnant with Jeremy. "I would've married April after a month of dating if I could."

"I wouldn't have let you at the time. I for sure would have kicked your ass if you two eloped behind our backs," his boss teasingly said, nudging him with his elbow.

"Thank God that's not the case anymore," he muttered in amusement, then he sipped his whiskey. "You know, Maddy's still nervous about leaving home for camp. Hopefully, driving her there from Boston will help. What does Kylie think of it?"

"She seems excited. Lexie's doing a nice job convincing her it'll be one of the best experiences of her life," Mark responded and gently patted Jackson's chest. "Maddy will be fine. She'll be shy at first, but I think she'll be okay."

The pretty man softly chuckled. "It's not me who will be a wreck after we leave her behind. It's April I worry about," he insisted. "She claims she won't be a bawling mess, but that's like saying we'll never have sex again. It's possible I'll have to carry her over my shoulder on the way back to the car when we leave."

"Yeah, Lexie will likely be the same way. At least we got Trey at home with us, while Kylie's away." He decided to change the subject. "Is Jeremy still taking his pants off? I'm surprised he hasn't done it today."

"Unfortunately, yes. That phase hasn't died yet. He did it earlier before we left the house, but your parents are keeping a close eye on him."

"Well, consider yourself lucky. Trey does more than that. For the past five days, he randomly strips off _everything_ and runs around screaming like Tarzan," Mark sheepishly admitted and shook his head dejectedly. "Yesterday was the worst because it happened at the hospital's daycare. They banned him for a week!"

Jackson laughed out loud. He hadn't heard of the incident until his brother-in-law told him about it. "Holy crap, you're right. You have it worse than April and I do. Now, _that's_ definitely like father, like son," he quipped.

"Bite my ass, man. I never ran around naked like that," he retorted with a smirk.

George joined the Plastics Posse at the bar, acknowledging their presence with a quick nod. "Hiding from the wives?"

"More like taking a break," Jackson jokingly answered and pointed at the empty stool beside him. "Have a seat, O'Malley. You could use a break yourself."

The trauma surgeon sat next to his coworker after ordering himself a drink. Their fight over April was a turning point for the both of them. After Jackson saved his job, they slowly worked out their differences. And he eventually found a love of his own. A nurse named Olivia Harper had been quietly keeping an eye on him since he beat up the plastic surgeon. They married two years later and he was the proud father of 2-year old twin boys.

"Some wedding, huh? I fully expected Karev to go missing just before the ceremony," George lightheartedly said, sharing a laugh with his fellow surgeons.

"Nah, he saw how happy we all are being married and wanted to jump in on the fun," Jackson stated. "And he never cheated on Izzie, so that was already one giant accomplishment for him. As my best friend, I'm glad he manned up. We both needed to grow up."

"So, are the girls ready for camp?" the trauma surgeon asked and received a Budweiser from the bartender.

Mark nodded. "They're more ready than their mothers, that's for sure," he said, finishing his scotch. "And before they realize it, those fifty plus days zoom by like it was nothing."

* * *

_Summer 1993 – Day 54_

_The last day of camp finally came. When Jackson first arrived at Wazi he wanted the entire experience to move along quickly because being there was his mother's doing. He never asked to be sent to the Maine based camp. Even being tortured by his older brothers at home would have been a more pleasant summer vacation than this. And after being hooked to the flagpole on the second day of camp, he knew he was in for the crappiest summer of his life._

_But that was before he met April and she rescued him that day. He had kept a list in his head of what he wanted to happen until camp ended – survive, survive, survive. Finding a girlfriend was definitely not a priority of his considering most girls his age hardly gave him a second glimpse, if they gave him one at all. However, the perky redhead was different from those girls and since building a close friendship with her, he didn't want to leave._

_The two of them would be living on separate coasts by the next day, Jackson in Boston and April in Seattle. He thought fate was playing a nasty trick on him by having him meet a girl who lived all the way across the country. She had her own friends at home as did he, but at camp it was like none of them mattered to either. They had each other and now they were forced to return to the lives they had prior to meeting at camp._

_Rolling up his red sleeping bag, he was almost finished packing all of his belongings. Catherine had sent another limousine to pick him up and drive him home to Boston. Jackson hardly expected any sort of warm homecoming, probably just an unsolicited noogie from Grayson. He was certain Mama Avery would be out with the boyfriend or working at The Brigham when he arrived._

_Half of his bunk mates had already left with family or in a bus that took out of town campers to the airport. His cabin was somewhat eerily quiet as he gathered his suitcases and sleeping bag. Before stepping out of his cabin, he took one last glance at his empty bed. One of the things he wouldn't miss was that uncomfortable, springy mattress._

_Jackson dragged his luggage along the dirt path while trying to hold his sleeping bag underneath his armpit. He was actually hoping he could endure his last hour of camp without any horrible mishaps, but the idea was quickly dashed when The Hawk stepped in front of him with his always annoying, obnoxious grin._

_"Ah, Dweebles. Glad to run into you one last time," the counselor teasingly greeted him._

_"C'mon, can I please go through this half-day without a wedgie?" he groaned. "I'm already positive my brother will give me one at home, so spare me the butt rash."_

_The Hawk snickered and lightly slapped Jackson's cheek. "You're lucky this is my last year working as a counselor. I'm going to miss beating up on nerds like you," he arrogantly said. "Seriously, you make me feel good about myself."_

_"Uhh… I'm glad I made your summer worthwhile," Jackson sarcastically mumbled. "Is that all?"_

_"As much as I want to give you the world's most torturous wedgie, I'll back off," he politely answered. "But I can't walk away without doing something to ya."_

_The younger teenager sighed in annoyance after his bully slapped his sleeping bag out of his grip. The Hawk removed his sunglasses, revealing his entire face to Jackson for the first time all summer. "Stay geeky, Dweebles. Maybe we'll run into each other again in another lifetime."_

_Rolling his eyes as The Hawk walked away, Jackson crouched down to pick up his sleeping bag from the ground. His ride back to Boston wouldn't be arriving for another hour, so he dragged his belongings to the lake. April was waiting for him at the dock and sitting by the edge. He left his luggage and sleeping bag a few feet behind before taking a seat beside his girlfriend._

_"I snatched up some Fudgesicles," she greeted him, handing him one of the sealed desserts. "I figured since we had these on our first date we should have them on our last."_

_"Awesome. Thanks." He opened the plastic package. "When do you start school?"_

_"First week of September. You?"_

_"August 23__rd__. Private schools always start early," Jackson bitterly replied. He bit a small chunk of his Fudgesicle and slightly grimaced at the cold sensitivity in his teeth. "What time's your flight?"_

_"Not until three, but at least I'll have company at the airport." April rested her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. "I wish summer didn't have to end. This was the most fun I ever had at camp. We're gonna be so far away from each other. It sucks. You're the only boy who ever thought I was cool enough to be his girlfriend."_

_He sheepishly smiled at her. "To be fair, you're the only girl who actually wanted to be my girlfriend."_

_"I'm gonna write you a letter as soon as I get home," she declared, licking her Fudgesicle afterwards. "Will you write back to me? It'd be nice if we could keep in touch throughout the year as pen pals."_

_"Yeah, maybe even call each other every now and then?" he suggested._

_April softly gasped. "Oh, yeah! We need to exchange phone numbers before you leave." She lifted her head and faced Jackson. "So… have you thought about coming back to Wazi next year?"_

_He slowly shrugged his shoulders. As much as he loved his experience at summer camp more than he had expected, it was highly likely he wouldn't have a say in his vacation plans the following year. Catherine could possibly plan a trip that included him and his brothers. It was difficult to predict what would happen next summer at that moment._

_"Would you be bummed if I didn't come back?" he responded._

_"Duh," she answered, nudging his side with her elbow. "It won't be the same without you. I know I'll have Lexie and George, but you and I have a unique bond because we're each other's first boyfriend and girlfriend. Please consider coming back, Jackson."_

_Jackson wrapped his arm around April's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder again as they quietly cuddled and finished their Fudgesicles. It felt like an hour flew by because a counselor interrupted their last date to inform him that the limousine sent by Mama Avery had arrived. He got his luggage, while the redhead offered to carry his sleeping bag for him._

_As they walked to the parking lot, a familiar voice caught their attention. Lexie was running towards them after calling out their names with George sluggishly trailing behind. She grinned widely as she walked beside Jackson. "Oh, good. I was worried I missed ya. You're leaving now?"_

_"Yeah, I am," he replied and smiled. "Thanks for coming to say goodbye, though."_

_In the parking lot were various cars and school buses preparing to pick up campers who were scheduled to leave camp. The lone black limousine stood out and the driver was patiently waiting by the trunk to load Jackson's belongings._

_"Geez, you're like a celebrity, getting a sweet limo and all," Lexie said in amazement. She noticed the frown on April's face as they moved closer to the limousine. Her best friend was close to unleashing the waterworks soon, so she comfortably rubbed her back. "It's okay, April."_

_Jackson handed his luggage to the driver, followed by his sleeping bag. By then, April had tears running down her cheeks. He pulled her in for a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "We'll see each other again, okay?"_

_She nodded, burying her face against his shoulder. It wasn't uncommon for her to cry at the end of camp because there were other friends she had made in the past that were tough to say goodbye to, but he was much more important than they were. The first week back home in Seattle was going to be terrible in her mind._

_"You still have the bracelet I gave you?" she tearfully questioned. He showed her the black, red and yellow friendship bracelet she had given him during their first week of camp, which was securely fastened to his left wrist. "And I'm wearing the alien necklace you gave me too."_

_"We'll always have something to remember each other by," he assured her._

_April wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "So, umm… I guess this is goodbye," she murmured, interlocking their fingers together. "Try not to think of too many girls at your school, okay? I'll have my brother hunt you down and kill you if you do."_

_"The same goes for you. I don't want letters from you that say you found someone better," the nerd playfully retorted._

_Lexie stepped in between the couple and laughed. "Enough with the soap opera mood. I have to say my goodbyes too," she quipped, giving Jackson a hug. "It was nice meeting you, Fox. I hope you'll come back next year, so we can hang out again."_

_"I'll try." He moved away from her and faced George, who stood nearby with his arms folded. Since their poor attempt of a fight neither of them had spoken to each other much. The latter was still embarrassed that he lost. Jackson held out his hand. "See ya, George."_

_The shorter nerd sighed and shook his hand. "Bye, Jackson."_

_Before climbing into the limousine, Jackson kissed April one more time. For either of them, it may be the last kiss they would both experience for a while. He waved at the threesome as he sat down inside of the car. When the limousine started driving away, he rolled down the window and stuck his head out to stare at her until she was no longer visible. She waved at him with tears trickling down her face again. They never officially broke up, but it still felt like they had considering they would be thousands of miles apart for the majority of the year._

_Jackson slumped down in his seat as the 3-hour drive back to Boston had begun. It was going to be a lonely ride home. Maybe if they were older and in college, he could actually bring April home with him. He was certain his mother would like her._

_His gut was telling him that they were destined to see each other again._

* * *

Sitting in the backseat by herself, Madison fidgeted with her seatbelt as Jackson drove past the Camp Waziyatah sign. Prior to bringing her to camp, the family flew to Boston to spend a week with the Avery clan. Catherine had only seen baby Aryn a few times since she was born, so the trip was planned for multiple purposes. April hadn't likened to the idea of shipping her oldest daughter on a plane alone even if she had a chaperone to accompany her. And since the campsite was only about a 3-hour drive from Boston, the peds surgeon wanted to give her a proper send off. They would be separated for eight weeks after all.

The married couple opted to leave Jeremy and Aryn behind in Boston with their grandmother, so they would only have to deal with one possibly distraught child at Wazi – and also one distraught parent. The night before, April was having separation anxiety. She had never been away from her children for more than a week. There were only two out of state conferences she had attended without Jackson and the kids. She worried that Madison would struggle to open up to new people, which continued to be an issue as she grew older.

Jackson parked the car and got out to scan their surroundings. With the exception of cabins painted a different color, everything almost appeared exactly the same to him. It was a breezy, sunny day – perfect weather for the first day of camp. He peeked inside of his car. Both Kepner girls remained quietly seated making him chuckle.

"You can't hide in the car forever. C'mon, we don't want to be late for check-in," he advised, opening the passenger door for Madison. "Uncle Mark, Aunt Lexie and Kylie are already here waiting for us."

After removing her seatbelt, Madison hopped out of the car and tightly clutched her backpack. She followed her father to the trunk of the car and watched him unload her luggage. "Daddy, how long are you and Mommy staying?"

"Until the visiting period is over," he casually answered. "Want to do me a favor and convince your mom to get out of the car, please?"

The younger redhead skipped towards April's side of the car and knocked on the window. "Mommy, you have to get out. Daddy said so," she ordered, yanking open the door. She tugged on her mother's hand. "Hurry or we'll be late."

Unbuckling her seatbelt, April finally got out of the car and smiled at Madison. "Are you excited?"

Her daughter nodded and held her hand as they searched for the check-in area. Jackson followed behind while he carried a suitcase and a small duffel bag. There was a large crowd of parents and campers gathered in front of the director's office for check-in. Five minutes later, they were directed to the Pines where the youngest campers stayed during the summer.

"Took you guys long enough!" Mark teased and stood in front of Madison and Kylie's cabin. He grinned as the other half of his family approached them. "Lexie and Kylie are inside getting settled. Avery, how about you stay here and let the girls have their girly time?"

April smirked at her brother. "Don't tie him to the flagpole this time," she jokingly said and entered the cabin with Madison. Her bed was located beside Kylie's. Lexie was setting it up and making sure the pillows were fluffy enough. "Hey, you two."

Kylie ran towards her cousin and took her hand. "Maddy, you can see the lake from our window! It's so cool!" she bragged and led her to the window in between their beds.

Lexie approached her best friend, softly smiling at her. "How are you doing?"

"I feel like I'm going to breakdown at any minute now," April muttered.

"Oh, thank God," the urologist sighed, placing her hand against her chest. "Me too. I can't believe our first babies are old enough to attend camp. This is where we freaking grew up over the summer. It's all so surreal."

"I don't understand how our husbands can be this calm about leaving them behind for eight weeks. They're going to be _parentless_ for almost three months." She glanced at the two 8-year olds, who were busy staring at the lake from their window. "I mean, they don't seem to be scared of not having us around. They'll be fine… I think."

The brunette threw her arm over April's shoulder and laughed. "We were their age when we first attended Wazi. You and I are just being those annoying parents who don't want their babies to grow up. They'll be in good hands," she assured her.

After helping their daughters settle into their cabins, they decided to tour the campus themselves and also reminisce about memories that triggered in their heads when they passed by specific areas. They stopped at the infamous flagpole and Mark grinned at the girls.

"Maddy, this is where I attached your dad to the flagpole and left him there," he told her, laughing at Jackson's irritated expression. "It was pretty funny at the time. My buddies and I, we saluted him like he was actually the flag too."

April rolled her eyes and smacked Mark's chest with the back of her hand. "But there was a positive side to the story because I found Daddy and helped him down," she cheerfully added. "This is the place where we first met."

"Really?" Madison enthusiastically replied.

"Yup," Jackson answered, looking up at the United States flag waving around in the air. "I must admit that being picked on at camp was a blessing in disguise. If only your Uncle Mark knew your mom was my girlfriend all along."

"He wouldn't have made it out of camp alive," Mark noted, then he patted his brown and gray hair. "You think I could still pull off that Vanilla Ice haircut?"

The threesome simultaneously shook their heads. "That was a phase I'm very grateful you grew out of," Lexie responded and kissed her husband's cheek. "Oh, and also that you dropped the ridiculous Hawk nickname."

"That was a pretty dumb name, Mark," April teased.

"Whatever. You're just jealous because neither of you had a sweet nickname like I did," her brother defensively said. "At least I wasn't Dweebles."

"Let's not bring up that name," Jackson muttered, lightly punching Mark's arm.

The last place they visited was the lake. Madison and Kylie were distracted by an activity for the younger kids to help integrate them better with their fellow campers, so Jackson and April snuck away to be alone. They held hands as they walked across the dock and stopped close to the edge.

"I should've came back," the plastic surgeon admitted. "I thought I was too cool for camp that following summer and didn't want to. You must have thought I was a jerk for not coming back."

"It was disappointing not to see you here when I returned, but in a way, you made up for it," she insisted, wrapping her arms around his waist. "It took longer for us to meet again, yeah. Better late than never, though."

Jackson nodded and gently rested his chin on top of April's head. "True. You might not believe me, but I always thought we'd see each other again eventually."

"Did you start thinking this before or after your ego inflated?"

"Fine, I deserved that. I was a terrible friend after camp."

"Except now we're never leaving each other's sides," she reminded him, pecking him on the lips. "I love you, Jackson Avery."

He placed a kiss on his wife's forehead. "I love you too, April Avery."

When it was time to leave their children behind the two female surgeons were filled with anxiety again. April knelt down in front of Madison and hugged her securely. "Be a good girl, okay? Try to have fun, but if you absolutely cannot stand being here, then give us a call and we'll fly from Seattle to come get you."

Madison giggled. "I already like camp, Mommy."

"That's great. I know you'll be on your best behavior." She briefly glanced at Jackson's alien necklace around her daughter's neck and the friendship bracelet on her left wrist. "If you get homesick, just remember we're always here in spirit. You and Kylie can take care of each other."

"It's 'cause we're big girls, right?"

"Exactly." Hugging her one more time, April stood up and moved aside to let her husband say his goodbyes. "Say, 'Bye', to Daddy now."

Jackson smiled at Madison. "I don't want to hear about any boyfriends when we visit in four weeks, alright?"

"Gross, Daddy!" she bashfully shrieked.

"I'm just making sure." He kissed her forehead and smothered her with his large arms. "Have fun and don't be afraid to try new things."

April blew a kiss to Madison as she walked away with Jackson. The 8-year old returned the gesture making the older redhead tear up. She immediately turned around to hide her face. "She can't see me cry. She- she'll freak out."

"You're okay. Just take a few deep breaths and relax," he instructed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. They walked back to their car where she broke down the moment she sat down in her seat. He slightly smiled and gave her a hug. "Now you can let it all out. This will be good for everybody. Maddy will grow up to become an independent woman because of this camping experience."

"I know, I know. It's still so hard to leave her alone," she sobbed. April pulled away from Jackson to dry her eyes with a tissue she had ready in her purse since they drove out of Boston. "She used to be so little. Next thing you know, she's in high school and then college, maybe medical school…"

"How about we take it one year at a time?" he teasingly suggested. "Anyway, we should get home. I'm worried my mom's letting Jeremy prance around her house freely without any pants on."

She chuckled as he started the ignition. Driving out of Camp Waziyatah's campus, Jackson took April's hand into his and quickly smiled at her. For a long time, he had lost his way and forgotten who he used to be. Then, the missing piece of his puzzled life reemerged and helped him see what he had been missing out on for years. Now, he was a loving husband, a caring father and a selfless friend.

There was that saying, "The past will come back to haunt you". In Jackson's case, he was very thankful it did.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought of the chapter and/or the story in general please :)**


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